


Two of a Kind

by Ricecakes123



Series: ScarletWolf [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Wanda Maximoff - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Awkward Flirting, BAMF Wanda Maximoff, Bucky Barnes & Original Character frienship, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Couple so cute you'll get a cavity, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Explicit Language, F/F, FUCK endgame, Heavy Angst, Let Wanda be happy 2k19, Mutual Pining, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Panic Attacks, Protective Natasha Romanov, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, The MCU keeps fucking over Wanda Maximoff so here I am seeking satisfaction and establishing justice, Wanda Maximoff Needs a Hug, Wanda Maximoff has PTSD, fuck infinity war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-13 15:03:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 154,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20584463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricecakes123/pseuds/Ricecakes123
Summary: After her life is destroyed by Ultron's attack on Sokovia, Wanda Maximoff feels lost until she meets Jemma Barnes, the wife of the woman who saved her life. Through their shared grief they form an unlikely bond and begin to heal, but when Wanda accidentally slips into Jemma's mind and witnesses a nightmare in which she blames Wanda for her wife's death, it sets off a chain reaction of events that propels them into a life that neither of them expected.





	1. The Screen

The blank white screen of Jemma’s four-year-old laptop sat staring back at her. The gentle sound of string and woodwind instruments played softly in the background, not masking the guttural sound of Jemma’s frustration. Why couldn’t she just come up with a great idea for a novel? She never had this much trouble when it came to smaller pieces, but whenever she thought of her dream novel, all ideas left her brain. Her fingers tapped on the granite countertop in annoyance. Jemma threw her head down onto the keyboard, groaning. From behind her, a chuckle interrupted her thoughts and the music.

“Having trouble are we?” Lily asked her, in a playful manner. She got up from her spot on the loveseat and moved toward Jemma, until she stood behind her stool. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around Jemma’s slumped body.

“Why is it whenever I even attempt to think of my novel, the writing gods choose not to inspire me?” Jemma’s voice was muffled by the keyboard beneath her face, but Lily heard all the same. She laughed again at her wife’s childish nature.

“I don’t think they _choose _not to inspire you. I like to think that they’re busy trying to find you the best and greatest idea they have. You don’t want them to give you a shitty idea do you?”

“No.” 

“Okay then. Have patience. A good idea will come. I’m sure of it.” Jemma lifted her head off her keyboard and stared at the blank white screen again; the bane of her existence. Lily leaned forward and rested her chin atop Jemma’s curly auburn hair. The smell of her jasmine shampoo filled her nostrils and she sighed with content. Jemma leaned into Lily’s embrace, taking comfort in her warm arms. Jemma reached her arms around her to try to hug Lily, only to fail and awkwardly catch her, holding her in a weird and uncomfortable position.

Lily giggled and placed a light kiss on the top of Jemma’s head before moving to her right temple, then her left cheek, and finally her lips. Jemma smiled into the kiss and leaned her head up to gain more access to Lily’s lips. After a minute, Jemma broke the kiss, and shifted in her seat. She turned around, now facing Lily, and wrapped her arms around her slender waist. Once again their lips met with more passion than the first time. Lily’s hands found their way to the back of Jemma’s head, and her fingers tangled themselves in her long wavy hair, pushing her deeper into the kiss.

Much to both of their disappointment, they both pulled away, breathing hard. Nothing but love and adoration shone in their eyes as they gazed at their significant other.

“Why don’t you give the writing a rest for today? You’ve been writing since noon.” Jemma jumped from her stool in panic, looking for a clock.

“What time is it?” she asked frantically. Lily laughed at her again and grabbed her wife by her shoulders and brought her into her arms once more.

“It’s almost five.”

“Oh.”

“Hey, I’m starving. What do you want to do for dinner?”

“I don’t know,” Jemma said as she pulled herself out of Lily’s hug. She walked over from the island in the kitchen of their apartment to the refrigerator. Disappointment filled Jemma as she looked inside it. They didn’t have much food, and because Lily worked ridiculous hours, sometimes Jemma was on her own for dinner, so she always ordered out. “There’s eggs, some ground meat, I think lunch meat, some meatballs and sausage that my parents made—”

“Don’t eat the lunchmeat. It went bad the other day,” Lily said interrupting Jemma as she walked over to join Jemma by the fridge, also looking in. She took the lunchmeat and threw it in the trash. “How do you survive without me?”

“Usually, I order out.”

“Well, we haven’t had a real date in while. Why don’t we go out tonight? I know a nice place a few blocks away.” Lily offered, peering away from the inside of the fridge. Jemma too removed her head from inside the fridge and smiled up at her wife.

“I’d like that. Do I have time to hop in the shower really quick?” Lily laughed at her adorable wife who was jumping in excitement.

“Yeah, go shower. I’ll get changed and make a reservation.” Jemma kissed Lily lightly on her cheek and skipped to the back of their apartment towards the bathroom, before stopping and looking back at Lily.

“Ooh! A reservation! So, it’s a fancy place? Maybe I’ll wear that little black dress that you love,” she said, flirtatiously as she bit her lower lip and winked at Lily. Lily rolled her eyes, blush creeping up on her cheeks.

“Go get in the shower.” Both women laughed as Lily heard a door close and the shower turn on. She mumbled words of affection and playful annoyance to herself about the younger woman. _How was I married to her?_ She often wondered how she and Jemma were even compatible since they were pretty much complete opposites. Lily was more laid-back and less serious than Jemma was. Jemma was always stressed and worried about her work, and granted so was Lily, but unlike Jemma, Lily knew how to be lazy and to relax and take time off.

Lily walked into their shared bedroom, still thinking of Jemma’s tendencies to overwork herself when it came to her writing. She opened the closet and examined the clothing in it. She reached into the left-hand side of it, which consisted of Jemma’s clothes, and pulled out the black dress that Jemma mentioned wearing. Holding it out at arm’s length, Lily examined the dress and sighed. Jemma was right; she did love this dress. Laying it neatly on the bed, Lily left the bedroom and walked to the bathroom. Still hearing the water in the shower running, Lily knocked loudly, hoping not to scare Jemma.

“Hey, you said you wanted to wear that black dress, right? You were serious about that?” she asked, hoping to not sound too hopeful that her wife was indeed serious about wearing the dress.

“Yeah, why not. It’s a special occasion,” replied Jemma from inside the bathroom. Even behind the door, Lily heard the smugness in her voice and could picture the small flirty smile in Jemma’s voice almost perfectly.

“Okay, I put it on the bed.”

“Okay, thank you.”


	2. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily and Jemma spend some quality time which takes a turn for the worst when Lily gets called in for a mission in Sokovia by Natasha.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was romantic to say the least. The two women sat across from each other, spending the evening talking and laughing. Lily gazed lovingly at Jemma, who looked enchanting in the black dress. Her wavy auburn hair was braided and pinned up nicely, with choice strands falling down, framing her face. Her pink lips were now painted red as Jemma used this as an opportunity to apply makeup. Her brown eyes sparkled in the light of the candles that decorated the middle of their table. Jemma knew that Lily was staring at her, but being her awkward self, chose to pretend that she didn’t notice. Jemma stabbed her salad with her fork, as she told a story about a co-worker of hers from the local newspaper that she wrote for.

“And I told Tom, you remember Tom; tall, going bald. Well, I said, ‘Tom, you can explain that template to Kathy 100 times, she’s still—’”

“You’re so beautiful.” Jemma blushed at Lily’s words and her light brown eyes looked up from her salad to star back into Lily’s striking blue ones. As they stared at each other, Jemma’s face reddened and she started to sweat from the heat in her face. Lily smiled at her wife’s awkwardness as her left hand abandoned her food and landed gently on Jemma’s free hand. Almost on instinct, Jemma intertwined her fingers with Lily’s. Despite the weird awkwardness of showing displays of affection in public, Jemma smiled at Lily. It was a small smile, but it was genuine and displayed every ounce of love that she had in her heart for the woman sitting across from her.

“I love you so much,” Jemma said as she brought their hands up and placed a delicate kiss on Lily’s hand. They both forgot about their food in front of them. Lily’s smile grew larger as did Jemma’s. Jemma was thankful for this nice night out with Lily. Oftentimes Lily’s job as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and part-time member of the Avengers meant that Jemma was sitting alone in their apartment, the only company being Jemma’s cat, Griffon.

Griffon was a gift for Jemma from her parents the day she graduated college and proceeded to move to New York to work on her writing. Her parents knew that she hated being alone, so Griffon acted as a roommate until she met Lily after the Battle of New York in 2012. While Jemma loved Griffon, Lily did not, and her and the jealous feline often had a lot of disputes. But, because Lily loved Jemma and couldn’t bear to make her choose between her or her cat, decided to tolerate the little furry asshole, and Griffon did the same, as if they had an unspoken agreement. But, whenever Jemma wasn’t in the apartment, Lily and Griffon were free to get on each other’s nerves.

After the two women finished their dinner and split a dessert (even though Lily was full, she knew that Jemma had a weakness for sweets), they left the nice restaurant, hand in hand and smiles on both their faces.

“Do you want to drive home or do you want to take a walk with me?” Lily asked as they walked to the car. Their apartment wasn’t too far from the restaurant, so she wasn’t too worried about leaving the car, and there was a large park at the end of the block.

“How about we drive home, change into something more comfortable, and then we can go for a walk?” Jemma offered, still smiling. Lily nodded her head and unlocked the car doors.

The cool spring New York air blew, caressing the two women, but didn’t make them uncomfortable. The park was empty, save a few other couples who also spent their evening sitting and walking with their significant other. The two women sat together, their hands in their familiar embrace, on one of the many metal benches in the park. The sun had gone down hours ago, and the only light that illuminated the park were its streetlights. Jemma sat with her head resting against Lily’s shoulder; _the one good thing about being short_. Her eyes were closed as she listened to Lily’s soft voice as she hummed a little tune. Lily looked down at Jemma’s dark hair. She could faintly see the smile that decorated her freckled face as she sat against her. She leaned down, trying not to disturb her, and placed a kiss on her head. Jemma’s smile grew, but her eyes remained closed.

Suddenly, Lily stopped humming, as if the song had ended, and the only sounds to fill Jemma’s ears were the nightly sounds of active bugs and the faint giggles and conversations of other couples. Jemma’s eyes opened as she removed her head from Lily’s shoulder. The spot on Lily’s shoulder where Jemma’s head had been resting felt cold and Lily shuddered slightly at the lack of contact. She looked down at Jemma to find her looking up at her. Confusion and a little knowing was painted on her face.

“What’s wrong?” A simple question that didn’t have a simple answer. Lily sighed but her gaze shifted from Jemma to the empty space in front of them. She didn’t answer right away, mostly because she didn’t want to, but also because she didn’t know how to proceed with an answer. She knew what she needed to say, she just didn’t know how to say it without hurting Jemma.

“Lil? What’s wrong? I know something’s bothering you.” Jemma tried again, desperately trying to get her love to answer her. Worry filled her and started making her anxious. She was already suspecting the worst, that was her go to whenever something serious was happening. Lily sighed again, knowing that she had to get this out before she left.

“Okay. I need you to listen carefully and to wait until I’m finished before you start to freak out. Okay?” 

“Okay,” Jemma said hesitantly. She was already freaking out.

“While we were at dinner, I got a message from Nat. Apparently there’s some trouble happening in Sokovia, and they need my help.” 

“What kind of trouble?” Jemma asked. She was confused. Surely it couldn’t be that bad that the Avengers couldn’t handle it. Why did they need Lily?

“Nat told me that an evil robot named Ultron has planned to destroy humanity, and Sokovia is his base of operation. They need extra muscle to stop him, so they called me in. I’m sorry, love. But I have to go. I’m sorry.” Lily tried to avoid Jemma’s gaze. She knew how much it hurt the young woman whenever she left, especially when she left with the Avengers. She knew that Jemma always spent her waking hours worrying about her whenever she was away. She waited for Jemma to say something, anything. She just wanted to hear her voice, but Jemma didn’t say anything. The gears in her head were turning fast as she processed what Lily had said. After a while, Jemma spoke.

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Early or late?”

“Late. I begged Nat for some more time with you,” Lily knew that her request was selfish considering the thousands of lives at stake, but in that moment, Lily didn’t care about them. As cliché as it sounded, she only cared about the young woman sitting beside her on a cold metal bench. Jemma just nodded, not saying a word. “I’m so sorry, love. I know it’s last minute, and if I knew ahead of time I would’ve told you sooner. I promise I’ll make it up to you when I come back. I’ll spend all my time with you. We’ll have date night every night. I’ll cash in all my vacation days and we’ll do nothing but stay in bed eating pizza and watching cheesy romantic comedies. We’ll—"

Lily’s panicked rambling was interrupted by Jemma placing a soft but passionate kiss on her lips. When she pulled away, Lily found that Jemma was now sitting on her lap, staring right into her bright blue eyes. A mix of pride, sadness, and fear swam in Jemma’s brown ones.

“I am so proud of you,” she said, as her hands caressed Lily’s face in an attempt to calm her down. Jemma smiled softly, trying to mask her fear and sadness. “You are the bravest woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. You are a hero, and I couldn’t be prouder of you. I know you worry about upsetting me whenever you have to leave, but please, for my sake, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m always fine. I know you’ll come back; you always do.”

Jemma placed another kiss on Lily’s lips before embracing her. Lily couldn’t help the tears that fell from her blue eyes onto Jemma’s light sweater. Jemma, who nuzzled her face into the crook of Lily’s neck, blinked the tears that threatened to spill away. She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to cry. _I’m not going to cry_.

“There’s something else,” Lily started, wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks before pulling out of the hug. “I talked with Maria and Nat and had them help me set something up. It’s meant to be…I guess a life insurance policy. Ever since New York, I’ve been saving up little by little just in case something happened. Maria has been keeping it safe and locked up with specific instructions on what to do with it. God forbid if I should…you know…—”

“That’s not going to happen.” Jemma said, a tear slipping down her cheek. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing Lily, and she certainly didn’t want to hear about it being a very real possibility.

“It can happen, Jemma. There is a huge possibility that I will go on a mission whether with the Avengers or as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and I don’t come back. Do you have any idea how selfish it would be for me to leave you without some sort of plan in place? That’s all this is; a _plan_. I’m not planning on leaving you for a long time, love, but we _both_ need to face the fact that we don’t always get to choose how much time we get together. I told Maria that if something were to happen to me on a mission, that she would give you the money. That way, you’ll be taken care of and won’t have to worry about supporting yourself.” Jemma nodded, taking in this information and processing it. Realization suddenly dawned on Jemma: Lily has been secretly preparing for her death since 2012. _How did I not notice this during the three years that we’ve been together? Surely there had to be some signs?_

She felt horrible that her wife of two of those three years had been keeping this all to herself for fear of hurting Jemma. She beat herself up about it. How could she be so stupid and blind to not see her lover hurting over the thought of her possible untimely death? Once again she wrapped her arms around Lily, except this hug was different. She knew that her wife felt horrible about this and didn’t want to break down in front of her. Like always, Lily was bottling up her emotions, which always got on Jemma’s nerves. This hug was soft and comforting. This time it was Lily who buried her face into Jemma’s neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her freshly washed hair. This time Jemma sat in Lily’s lap and whispered kind and gentle things in her ear to soothe her. This time Lily didn’t even try to hold in her sobs.

“I know you’re expecting me to tell you not to go,” Jemma started, filled with a sudden burst of confidence and wisdom. “That the rest of the Avengers can handle this without you. That you’re needed here with me. I think you might even _want_ me to say that, but I won’t. I’m not going to get in the way of you and your dream job, no matter how worried I am about you. You worked hard to get to where you are now, and you worked even harder to become an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.. They need you. You’ve been given a great gift, and you need to use your powers to help others. Be worthy of them.”

○○○

The rest of the night went uneventful, which pleased both women as they laid with each other in bed watching old reruns of _Parks and Recreation_, their compromise. Griffon had made sure there was room for him too, sitting curled up in a little ball of orange fur on Jemma’s lap, purring softly. Lily’s left arm was draped around Jemma’s body, resting comfortably on her left shoulder, her hand playing with her long hair. Jemma’s head was once again leaning on Lily’s shoulder, and her right hand rested on Lily’s knee. Her left hand was busy petting Griffon. Other than the sound of the TV, the only sound throughout the entire apartment was the occasional laughter of the two women brought on by the show.

_BRRRRINNNNGGG…_ the loud ring of Lily’s phone interrupted the quiet atmosphere of the room, almost breaking the mood. Both Lily and Jemma’s head moved to Lily’s phone sitting charging on her bedside table. Griffon’s head snapped up, startled by the sudden noise, and as if he knew that it was Lily’s fault sent what looked like a glare her way before putting his head back down, trying to go back to sleep. Lily sighed and looked over at Jemma, mouthing an apology, and picked up her phone looking at the caller ID. Upon seeing the name of the person calling her, Lily tensed. Jemma noticed her sudden changed and grabbed the TV remote, pausing the show.

“Who is it?” she asked in a whisper, as if the unknown person on the line could hear her even though Lily hadn’t picked up yet. Lily didn’t answer her though and accepted the call.

“Hey Nat.” Jemma’s heart beat faster at hearing who was on the other line. Fear coursed through her as she looked at Lily’s rigid form. Jemma sat up, leaning her back on the headboard and stared at Lily as she took the call from Natasha Romanoff.

Jemma always had a sort of fear of the ex-assassin. She had only met her a handful of times, but she knew a lot about her thanks to Lily who had practically grown up with her. She knew that this call was important and would pertain to the mission of defeating this Ultron. Jemma knew that Natasha would never let anything happen to Lily, not just for Jemma’s sake but for her own as she was very fond of the young woman and thought of her as a sister, but anything can happen during a mission.

“Yeah I can be ready by then. Yeah, okay. Have him _text_, not call me when the jet gets here. I don’t want him disturbing Jemma. Yeah…okay…okay…yeah I’ll be ready. Okay, bye Nat.” Lily tossed her phone towards the end of the bed and sighed. She leaned her head back against the headboard and ran both her hands through her hair in frustration. While she loved her job and the people she worked with and worked extremely hard to get to where she was, they managed to piss her off a lot. She loved Natasha and Maria like family, hell they might as well be family, but sometimes the shit they pulled drove her up the wall.

“What? What is it? What did Nat say?” Jemma leaned closer to her wife, causing Griffon to move from his comfy spot, and caressed her cheek. Lily sighed and looked into Jemma’s eyes. _She’s gonna hate me_.

“She said that the problem has escalated. Ultron plans to enact his decimation sooner than they thought, and they need me now rather than tomorrow. I’m so sorry, but I have to go now.” Lily could almost feel Jemma’s heart break at hearing that she wouldn’t have one more day with her, but minutes. Despite her own pain, however, Jemma put up a front, and gave a little smile, though her eyes screamed sadness.

“Then I guess you better get ready.” Lily placed a light kiss on Jemma’s forehead before getting up out of the bed and going into the closet. She pulled out a black skin-tight uniform, similar to that of Natasha’s, and laid it on the bed, smoothing it out. Despite having “superpowers”, she refused to wear a brightly colored outfit that made her look like she had just stepped foot out of a comic book. She wanted her enemies and her co-workers to take her and her abilities seriously, so she decided to go the way of the Black Widow and commissioned the black suit.

As she was readying herself, Lily felt the room spin. The colors she saw became brighter and more vibrant and she felt she was going to be sick. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest, and she felt an intense pressure building up in her mind. Jemma’s voice of concern distorted until all Lily heard was a loud monotonous tone. Somehow she had ended up on the floor, her back leaning against the side of bed. She couldn’t focus on anything as the familiar scene of her bedroom changed to the outdoors. As her vision cleared and the colors dulled, Lily tried to take in her surroundings and identify her location. Getting visions wasn’t anything that was new to her or to Jemma, but Lily couldn’t control when she got them or what she would see. And whenever she was lucky enough to receive a vision it was always of a brief instance that often didn’t provide any useful information.

The outdoor landscape didn’t look familiar to Lily and neither did the person standing beside her. She wasn’t an Avenger or an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., she wasn’t anyone that Lily recognized. The girl had long brown hair and green eyes mixed with grey and was dressed in dark boots with a black dress and a red leather jacket. Lily was still having trouble focusing as she stared at the young girl who looked to be in her late teens. Before she could even talk to the girl, the building besides them both collapsed.

Dust and debris filled her vision, but not the girl. Lily couldn’t move, she was frozen wherever she was knowing that this young girl was going to die. That’s how most of her visions went; she would see someone’s death or the destruction of something. But for some reason, her heart broke for this girl. Maybe it was because of her age. Maybe it was because of the fear in her grey/green eyes. Or maybe it was because somehow this young girl reminded Lily of Jemma. But her vision didn’t care because Lily was catapulted out of the vision, and the outdoor landscape faded to reveal the familiar bedroom once again.


	3. The Quinjet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily leaves for her mission and has a very personal conversation with Clint.

“Lily? Lily can you hear me? Lily?” Jemma’s concerned voice filled Lily’s ears as the vision released her to her reality. Lily’s eyes were wide as the sight of the open closet and the face of Jemma appeared before her as clear as the outdoor landscape. Jemma’s hands were on Lily’s shoulders and she was shaking her, trying to snap her out of whatever state she was in. She’s been around Lily when she got her visions, but this one seemed different. Lily was panicking, she was distressed at what she just saw. The young girl’s death had shocked her more than thought.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay. You’re back. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here,” Jemma said again after about a minute of silence from Lily except for her ragged breathing. “Lily, what did you see?” Jemma approached the subject with caution, afraid to send the woman back into another fit of panic.

“I…I saw…I saw a _girl_,” Lily began as she tried to stand. Jemma grabbed on her hands and helped her steady herself. Once she was up off the floor, Jemma pushed her to sit on the bed. Jemma sat beside her and took her hand. Lily stared into the open closet, a far-off look in her eyes. She was trying to see back into the vision. “I saw a girl. She was young, younger than you. We were alone outside in some…unknown location. She was afraid.”

“Did you know her?”

“I didn’t know her, and she didn’t know me. I don’t know if she saw me. She was looking right at me, but I don’t know if she saw me.” Lily recounted the vision. The girl was clear in her mind.

“What did this girl look like?”

“She had long brown hair and these eyes that were green but had a mix of grey in them. She was dressed in red and black. I don’t know why she was there, but there was so much fear in her eyes.”

“What was she doing?”

“She wasn’t doing anything. We were just standing staring at each other, and then a building collapsed. I didn’t see her after that,” Lily shut her eyes as flashes of the falling building resurfaced. She didn’t want to see the young scared girl die again. It was too painful. Knowing that she couldn’t save her. “I have a bad feeling about this mission, Jemma. There’s an intense feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. Something doesn’t feel right about any of this.”

“What?” 

“This mission, this vision. It doesn’t sit well with me.” Jemma moved Lily’s head down until it was resting in her lap. Lily moved her legs to stretch out in the bed, trying to get comfortable in the sudden change of position. Jemma ran a hand through Lily’s short black hair, trying to calm her down. Lily closed her eyes at the touch, breathing deeply.

“Honestly honey, I think it’s just nerves. Everything is going to be okay. You’re going to be okay, and that girl is going to be okay.” Jemma said, for once trying to be positive and look on the bright side.

“But I saw her _die_.”

“You know as well as I do that the future is not written in stone. It can always be changed. You don’t like how this future ends, change it. Save the girl if you can, and if you can’t _don’t _beat yourself up about it,” Jemma leaned down and planted a kiss on Lily’s temple. “Come on, you’ve got to finish getting ready.” 

Lily sat back up, still staring at the inside of the closet. As Lily regained her normal composition, she glanced over to the other side of the room to where Jemma was standing. Jemma was changing into her pajamas and didn’t catch Lily looking at her. Picking up her phone from the foot of the bed from where she tossed it, she looked at the time. 1:30am. She felt bad; usually Jemma was asleep by now, but here she was, awake and comforting Lily before a mission. Lily grabbed her black uniform and took it into the bathroom to change.

Jemma returned to her spot in the bed and pulled the covers over her legs. Griffon too returned, though Jemma was sure that he didn’t really leave, and instead of laying on Jemma, he took to curling up against Jemma’s right thigh. Jemma picked up the TV remote from her bedside table and turned the TV back on. A big yawn escaped her lips, and while she was tired and was usually asleep at this time, she didn’t want to sleep.

She would never admit this to Lily for fear of it causing her to cancel on the Avengers, but that same feeling of dread that she felt enveloped Jemma too. She couldn’t deny the fear that she felt. And that fear was eating her alive, and would keep her up all night, and invade her mind until Lily came home safe and sound. She opened Netflix and continued an old episode of _The Office_. Lily hated _The Office_, but Jemma wasn’t even thinking about what she was clicking on. In fact, she wasn’t even watching it. Instead her mind reeled with endless possibilities of literally all worst-case scenarios. _You’re such a pessimist_. She knew Lily would agree with her if she could hear her thoughts, which she could, but only when she was touching her, and most importantly only with Jemma’s consent.

The sound of the bathroom door opening snapped Jemma from her thoughts and allowed her to slightly focus on the show in front of her. She watched the workers of Dunder Mifflin run around the office thinking it was on fire.

_“The fire’s shooting at us!” _screamed Andy Bernard as the office exploded into pandemonium. Lily too was watching the fiasco on the TV and laughed.

“I thought you didn’t like this show.” Jemma said teasing her wife.

“I don’t, but I’ll admit this episode is my favorite. And it’s by far the funniest one.” Jemma only nodded in agreement at Lily’s words. Like before, her mind was elsewhere. And one look at her told that. Jemma did _not _have a poker face. She was an open book, and during the first few months of them dating, Jemma often accused Lily of reading her mind without permission when really she knew how to read people’s facial expressions and understand what they meant. And after spending so much time with Jemma, it was easy to learn what her facial expressions meant.

“What’s the matter, Jem?” Lily asked as Jemma had moved to start biting the nail on her thumb, a move she only did when she was either really nervous or deep in thought, though in some instances, like this one, when she was both. Jemma’s head snapped towards Lily who was now fully dressed in her uniform, her silver staff strapped to her waist in its little holster. The staff had been a gift from Thor, made specially for Lily. To Jemma’s understanding it worked much like Thor’s hammer and helped Lily control and channel her powers. Lily’s hair was pinned in a little braid to keep from getting in her face. On the opposite side of Lily’s belt where her staff was holstered, was another holster containing a gun. She didn’t like the idea of guns and she definitely didn’t like the idea of her wife having a gun or even being near a gun.

“Nothing’s the matter.” Jemma turned her attention back to the TV. Lily walked over to Jemma’s side of the bed, knelt down on the floor and took her hand into hers, causing the young woman to look her wife in the eyes, the fear and dread still there.

“Come on, Jemma Bean,” Jemma smiled at the nickname, reminiscing on one of the first few dates when Lily meant to ask if her date wanted some jellybeans, but accidently said Jemma Beans, and then proceeded to order a bag of “Jemma Beans” from the clerk of the candy store. At first, Lily had been grossly embarrassed, but through their time together, she found the hilarity of it and chose to nickname her wife that. “I know there’s something bothering you. You’re like an open book, remember.”

Jemma sighed, knowing that it was no use not telling Lily what was wrong. Yet, even knowing this, the stubborn young woman sat, still not saying a word on the subject.

“Jemma,” Lily said sternly, as if she was dealing with a child, and sometimes she was. “If you don’t tell me what’s wrong in thirty seconds I’m gonna find out for myself.” Lily held up her free hand and wiggled her fingers, indicating that she was willing to break the promise she made to Jemma about not using her powers on her if it meant that she could comfort her wife. Jemma looked at her wife, shock replacing the fear in her eyes, as she genuinely believed that Lily would use her powers on her without her consent. Now, Lily would never do this, but oftentimes, in order to combat Jemma’s stubborn nature, Lily had to bluff, and every time, Jemma never knew. No, she would not be good in a card game.

“Fine,” Jemma said in defeat. Lily smiled, knowing that her trick once again worked. Unlike Lily, Jemma was not very good at reading people. “I’m just worried. After you had that vision, I started to feel that same dread that you did. I just want you to come back to me.” Lily stood up and sat at the edge of the bed and brought her love into her arms, rubbing her back.

“I’m gonna come back, love,” Lily pulled Jemma out of the embrace and stared into her honey brown eyes that glistened with tears. Lily smiled to hide her own fear, not wanting to add to Jemma’s stress. “I promise you, I will. And you know me, I _never_ break a promise. Not to you. _Never_ to you. I love you.” Tears of her own formed in Lily’s eyes as Jemma leaned forward and reengaged them in another hug. Lily let her tears fall onto Jemma’s shirt as she felt her lover’s tears absorb into the breathable fabric of her uniform.

“I love you, too, Lily. Please come back to me.” Jemma’s soft and sad voice was muffled by Lily’s uniform, but Lily heard her clearly. A loud ping coming from Lily’s side of the room caused the two women to break apart from each other. Standing from Jemma’s side of the bed, Lily walked to grab her phone, turning the screen on and seeing a one-word text from Clint Barton that sent her heart into the pit of her stomach.

_"Here.”_

Before she knew it, their time was up and it was time for Lily to go. Her feet felt like lead as she walked back over to Jemma’s side of the bed.

“Clint’s here. I’ve got to go,” She planted a soft “goodbye” kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight, my love. Please try to get some sleep tonight. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Jemma sat up in bed, sitting on her knees. She reached up and pulled Lily’s head down to kiss her on the lips. _If she was going to leave, she was gonna give me a real fucking kiss_. When they pulled away, Jemma grasped onto her hand, loosely trying to keep her there. “Please be safe. Call me when you’re done. Don’t you _dare_ worry about what time it is here, I want you to call me. Okay? Promise me.”

“I promise. Now let go, please. I have to go.” Lily planted one more kiss on Jemma’s lips and forehead before pulling away. Making sure she had everything, she stood in the doorway of their bedroom and took one more look around the room. She noticed Griffon also looking at her with tired and maybe even irritated green eyes. Lily looked deep into those green cat eyes and pointed a finger at her lover’s beloved pet.

“You,” she said talking to the cat who responded with a swing of his tail. “Watch over Jemma, okay? I’ll be back soon, but in the meantime, she’s gonna need someone to comfort her. I need you to be that person, okay, cat?” Lily stared at the annoying feline with seriousness. The cat purred loudly and let out a little _“Meow”_ before putting his head back down and going to sleep.

“Okay, then,” Lily said before she turned to leave, only to stop and turn to face the tabby cat. She walked back over to the bed and laid a gentle hand on Griffon’s soft fur, petting him. He lifted his head and leaned into her hand, letting his enemy pet him this one time. “Be good, both of you.” And with that, Lily left.

○○○

The ride in the Quinjet was quiet. It was only just Lily and Clint, and yet to Lily that seemed to make the silence worse; the silence couldn’t dampen even if it wanted to. Because she was a part-time member of the Avengers, she wasn’t as close to the team as she would’ve like to be. And the person she was least close to, of course _had _to be her driver. She knew enough about him like that he had a family (which she learned from Natasha and not from Clint) and because of his family he didn’t live with the rest of the Avengers, so at least they had that in common, right? Was she even obligated to ask about his family? I mean he had no idea she knew about them, right, so was that a …no? Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The silence was driving her crazy. She didn’t know why she hated silence. She couldn’t remember much of her past except for the years that she spent in the foster system until she was taken in by S.H.I.E.L.D. when she was fifteen. Maybe it was _because_ of the foster system that she hated silence.

The sound of Clint clearing his throat threw her from her mental rhythm. She blinked a couple of times before looking at him as he spoke.

“So…how’s Jemma?” Lily looked at him in disbelief. They barely knew each other and he wanted to know about her personal life? Specifically, about Jemma? Clint didn’t meet her gaze, continuing to stare out into the sky, watching where he was going and making sure they were on course. _Wait, how did he know about Jemma? _“Nat told me about her.” _Damn you, Natasha._

“She’s good. At least she was until I told her about this mission.” Lily decided to confide in the archer. It was either him or silence, and she figured that Clint would have a better understanding of this than the rest of the members of the team. Clint nodded his head and chuckled, but it didn’t hold any humor.

“Yeah, I know what that’s like. I guess I’m lucky that Laura is somewhat used to this by now. You and Jemma weren’t together when New York happened, right?”

“Yeah. We actually met because of New York.” Lily smiled at the memory.

“Yeah? No kidding. How? Did you save her life or something?” Clint glanced at Lily for only a moment, but in that moment, she saw the intrigue on his face. _Natasha always said he was too nosey and too curious_. Lily recounted the memory for the both of them.

“Well, it was after the battle, and I’m doing some filing up at S.H.I.E.L.D. when Maria walks in saying that I got a phone call, which I thought was a little weird—”

“Why’d you think it was weird?” Clint laughed.

“I’m honestly not sure,” Lily laughed too. “Anyway, so I took the call, and it turned out to be Jemma. And she says, ‘Hi, my name is Jemma Barnes, and I work with the newspaper, _The New York Star_. Would it be possible to arrange an interview with the one they call… “Soundwave”?’ So, I agreed to the interview, and when I see her…I just knew. I knew deep down that she was the one I wanted to spend my forever with. And so, I took a chance, and after the interview was over, I asked her to dinner. I guess she was impressed with my bravery, so she said yes.” Clint and Lily shared a laugh. Clint didn’t even know her but hearing this story he felt that he had known her deeply this entire time.

“And how was your first date together?” he asked with some humor laced in his voice, as if he had already guessed that the date went poorly.

“Oh, it was awful,” Clint burst out laughing, scaring Lily, but she soon joined in laughing as the memory resurfaced in her mind. “Since it was after the battle, there weren’t a lot of businesses open in the city, except for this really fancy high-end Italian place. So, I decided to take her there, since it was really classy. Well, I guess every couple in all of New York had the same idea, because when we got there, there was a huge ass line and the wait time was over an hour!” 

“Oh my God!” Clint’s face had turned bright red from him laughing. Lily, still laughing, had settled down a bit. “What did you do?”

“I did what any good date would do! I took her out of the restaurant after refusing to wait at an hour to be seated and took her to the next best thing that was open.” 

“Which was…?”

“McDonald’s.” Lily threw her face into her hands as embarrassment fueled through her. Clint roared with laughter beside her. His face was now the shade of a tomato and tears were streaming down his face. He switched on the autopilot, and leaned back into his seat, still laughing loudly.

“Y-you…took her…t-to…MCDONALD’S! Oh my God, that’s _hilarious_!” Clint yelled as he tried to catch his breath, only to end up in a coughing fit. Once he caught his breath and the coughing stopped, he started chuckling again.

“It’s not funny, Clint! I’m lucky she still agreed to go out on a second date with me!”

“What did she do when you took her to Mickey D’s?” Clint asked trying hard not to laugh again.

“She was…actually very understanding and gracious about it. And she too found it a little funny. She did feel bad for me however, that the night didn’t go as planned. But she did insist that she plan the next date. That one went much better. But we had a good time in McDonald’s. We got to know each other better, we laughed and joked around, and when I dropped her off at her parent’s house, she gave me a kiss. So, all-in-all, I’d say it went really well, considering that she’s my wife.” And because of that “horrible” first date, Jemma and Lily started making it their own little tradition that on their anniversary, they both go out to dinner to McDonald’s.


	4. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle of Sokovia rages on.

The scene was even more disastrous than Nat made it seem to be. The buildings that surrounded the city were destroyed; bricks and glass and other debris littered the war-battered streets of Sokovia. Ultron’s robotic minions flew every which way, firing at the city, the people, and the Avengers. Despite the adrenaline the coursed through Lily’s veins, she was a little relieved that the Avengers _did _in fact need her with this mission. _Now, I can fully explain to Jemma that this was an emergency_.

Lily fought besides Clint, who took out a string of robots to his left. Lily grasped her staff tightly in her hand, her fingers turning white. Her eyes scanned the small street they were on, looking at the new wave of robots that filled the absence of the ones that she and Clint had just killed. As they ran at them, Lily closed her eyes and positioned her staff in the air in front of her. She concentrated hard on her powers and who she wanted to focus them on, and in a swift and fluid motion, she brought the staff down with a thundering boom. Opening her eyes, she saw the destruction she caused; the robots in her path rumbled vigorously until they disintegrated into nothing more than a pile of metal. She smiled at her good work while swaying a little, but Clint was quick to steady her. Doing that always took a lot of her energy often leaving her light-headed, but she always recovered quickly.

“You okay?” Clint asked her as the light-headedness faded. Lily nodded, in response. She was still in shock that all this was happening. Ultron’s words replayed over in her mind; _“You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal.” _Lily and Clint, still standing in their place, surveyed the area. For the time being, there were no more robots that came through their position. Breathing heavily, Lily looked at Clint. They both knew that it was getting harder to breathe as the city rose higher and higher in the air.

“You okay? You look a little winded.” Lily asked as she looked at Clint. A part of her was joking, making a little quip about his age, but another part of her was entirely serious and also felt the same way. _I’ve been eating way too much pizza. Damn you, Jemma. _She cursed her wife’s tendencies to overindulge on unhealthy foods, but she knew that she loved that about her. Clint shot her a look, understanding her meaning behind her words and laughed, though he was still trying to catch his breath.

“Never felt better.” The two new friends shared a quick laugh as they both tried to regain their stamina. The fight wasn’t over yet. Tuning back into the commotion going over through their communication devices, the two heard Tony’s voice talking to Steve.

_“Cap, you got incoming.” _

_“Incoming already came in. Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt ‘em back. You get killed, walk it off.”_ Lily and Clint nodded at Steve’s words, but a series of explosions to their right caused them to snap their heads in that direction. There, not far from where they were standing, was another hoard of robots coming their way. In front of them, running and trying to destroy as many as possible, was a young girl with long brown hair dressed in red and black. Lily froze as she gazed at the young girl, the girl from her vision. Fear took over her as she remembered her untimely demise.

Wanda, not noticing the other two Avengers, tried to take on the multiple robots by herself. She conjured small but powerful bolts of her red energy and fired each, one after the other, at every robot she saw. She did this while running, which wasn’t wise. After a couple of steps, she would shoot up to four shots, and then start running again to avoid being shot. Fear and anxiety coursed through her, infecting her actions, causing her aim to become skewed. Now, she wasn’t hitting as many robots as she would’ve liked, and the fire that they rained down on her was more than what she could handle. She started to not pay attention to where she was running to, and just tried desperately to get away.

Clint and Lily, after seeing the young girl running from the robots, ran towards her, offering her a hand. Lily’s breath hitched in her throat as she saw the girl trip over the rubble in her path and fall hard of the concrete. The swarm of enemy robots didn’t hesitate to descend upon her, but through her adrenaline, Lily was faster. She ran in front of the girl, ready to protect her.

“Cover your ears!” she yelled to both Wanda and Clint. Once checking to make sure they followed her command, she closed her eyes and emitted an ear-piercing whine. The robots in her path stopped their assault and shorted out as the frequency affected their programming. Lily turned back to the girl behind her, and Clint continued running over to them and helped the girl up before running back to where he and Lily had been standing a few minutes prior. Lily stayed back for a couple of seconds, checking for more danger, but soon followed Clint and the girl. Clint led them into an empty abandoned building and shielded the girl from a blast that came from somewhere behind them.

Once inside the building, the girl scrambled away from Clint and Lily and the little door where they entered. Her green eyes were wide and she had a small cut above her left eye. She was visibly shaking and fear shined in her eyes. Her breathing was fast and heavy as she was trying not to panic, though she wasn’t succeeding. Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face. Lily assumed that the girl was having a panic attack; she recognized the signs from being around Jemma, who got them frequently. Lily walked over to the girl and kneeled in front of her, making sure that she could see her. She then grabbed the girl’s right hand, took off her fingerless glove, and rested her index and middle finger on her wrist and checked her pulse. It was fast, too fast.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, it’s okay,” she said in a quiet and soothing voice, trying to calm the girl down. “What’s your name?” The girl looked Lily in her eyes, tears still coming, and answered in a quiet voice that wavered with each pronunciation of each letter.

“Wanda.” Her shaking hadn’t subsided, and she had started hyperventilating.

“Okay, Wanda. I’m gonna need you to take some deep breaths. Okay? Deep breath,” Lily breathed deeply, in through her nose and out through her mouth, hoping that the young girl followed suit. After a couple demonstrations, Wanda started taking deep breaths. “Good. Keep breathing, okay? It’s gonna be okay. Now I want you to close your eyes, okay?”

“What’s happening to me?” Wanda asked, still trying to control her breathing. Lily took her hand and gently caressed the girl’s face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You’re having a panic attack, but you’re gonna be okay. I promise.” After a few minutes, more blasts and explosions boomed through the area, scaring Wanda and making her open her. Fear overtook her again.

“Make it stop,” she murmured to herself as she brought her hands to her face and tried to cover her ears, shielding herself from the loud noises. Lily leaned forward and took her hands away and looked straight in her eyes.

“It’s okay. Don’t focus on what’s outside. Focus on me. Just focus on me and what I’m saying to you, okay?” 

“Okay.” Wanda went back to slowing her breathing. Lily could feel her pulse slowing down to a normal pace.

“Okay. Now Wanda, what are you doing here?” She wanted to distract the girl somewhat from what was going on outside their little hideaway. The girl looked at her and turned her head to Clint, who she had forgotten was even there.

“How could I let this happen?” she mumbled. “This is all our fault.” She sounded so sad. Before Lily could speak, Clint moved in front of the girl and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, look at me. It’s your fault, it’s everyone’s fault, who cares. Are you up for this? Are you? Look, I just need to know, cause the city is flying,” he took a breath and continued. “Okay, look, the city is flying, we’re fighting an army of robots, she can control sound and has a magic staff, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes any sense. But I’m going back out there because it’s my job. Okay? And I can’t do my job and babysit. It doesn’t matter what you did, or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here, you’re good, I’ll send your brother to come find you, but if you step foot out that door, you are an Avenger.” Clint looked at the girl one last time, before getting up and heading to a back door.

“Wow, Clint. I didn’t know you had that in you,” Lily joked, looking at the archer. Wanda was quiet as she thought over his words. She had calmed down from her attack and her crying had stopped. Lily looked over at her and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and face with her thumb, reminding her of whenever Jemma cried. Lily didn’t know what it was about Wanda, but she reminded her of Jemma. It was like they were the same person; like they had the same air about them. “Be careful, Clint.”

“Always am,” he notched some more arrows into his bow and he let out a big sigh. “Yeah, the city is flying.” He kicked open the back door and started firing his arrows at the robots that had converged. Lily and Wanda remained in the building staring at the spot where Clint was.

“I’m going to go back out there, too,” Lily said before standing. “Whatever you decide, stay safe, okay? It’s gonna be alright.” She too headed for the back door and readied her staff.

“Thank you,” said Wanda’s quiet voice. Lily turned back to her and nodded with a smile on her face. And with a sigh, she exited the building. Clint was a little farther up the street, but still in the vicinity of the area. More robots were coming for them, and the two soon became overwhelmed. Lily’s powers couldn’t keep up with the number of robots that started to flood the street. She placed her staff back into its holster and took out her firearm. She fired a couple rounds, taking down two or three robots, but she soon realized that it didn’t make much more of a difference.

“Clint, I don’t think this is helping. We need to come up with another plan.” Clint still fired his arrows, not wanting to believe that the robots had them beat. Lily focused her firepower on the robot in front of her. A robot quickly started to fly up behind Lily, who hadn’t noticed it. Before Clint could make the move to stop it, the robot was enveloped in a red mist. Wanda stepped out of the building that the three had been sitting in. She twirled her magic around the robot, and ripped it in half, sending the two halves into opposite directions, taking out other robots that started coming.

Wanda moved to stand next to Lily as she maneuvered her red energy to explode more robots. The robots in the area noticed the girl and turned their firepower off of Lily and Clint. They focused on the girl, trying to take her out, but they were no match for her. Wanda’s red hex ripped through each and every robot that came at her. Lily and Clint couldn’t help but watch in amazement as the girl’s hands moved through the air quickly, directing the magic through her enemies. Wanda stood in the middle of a pile of broken metal and dismantled robots. Wires, broken limbs and severed robot heads laid on the ground around Wanda, Lily, and Clint.

Wanda looked around her, staring at the mess she had made. Her eyes widened a little as she saw what her magic had done. Clint ran over to her and offered his hand, helping her walk over the debris so she didn’t fall and hurt herself. All three did a quick survey of the area. For once, it was quiet and no robots were making their way towards the three Avengers.

“Alright, we’re all clear here,” Clint said into the comms, taking a sigh of relief. He sends Lily a small smile as the three of them walk away from the robotic mess.

_“We are not clear! We are very not clear!”_ Steve’s voice shouted through the comms. Understanding his distress, Clint gave Lily a nod and they start to head off to Steve’s position.

“Alright, coming to you.” The wind rushed by Lily. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blue blur fly right past her, until it stopped in front of Wanda and morphed into a boy with silver hair wearing a blue workout shirt. The boy bent down a little bit and picked up Wanda before speeding off again.

“Keep up old man!” the boy yelled as he sped off, indicating that he was talking to Clint. Lily didn’t know who this kid was, but a part of her already loved him. Lily roared with laughter as she looked at Clint’s annoyed face. It was clear that he knew this kid, and that this wasn’t the first altercation with him in which Clint was referred to as an “old man”. Clint watched the boy run off, and even when they were out of sight, he still stared off.

“Nobody would know. Nobody,” Clint said to himself, but still loud enough for Lily to hear him. He raised his bow with an arrow notched and pointed it into the direction that the boy ran with Wanda.

“Come on, Clint. It was just a joke,” Lily said as she started to walk in the direction of the boy. As she walked by Clint, she laid her hand on his bow and lowered it. Clint ignore her words but took the arrow and put it back in his quiver.

“‘The last I saw him, when Ultron was sitting on him. Uh…yeah, he’ll be missed, that quick little bastard. I miss him already.’” Clint followed after Lily and the two of them ran off toward the battlefield.

The two arrived in the center of the city. Off to the side they could see Wanda’s magic swirling around in the air as she fought the incoming robots. The boy, who Lily learned was named Pietro and was Wanda’s twin, sped beside her, taking out the robots that she missed. It amazed Lily how well the two worked together. Joining back in the fight, Lily ran to cover Wanda’s side. She swung her staff that also functioned as a spear and impaled the robots as they flew at her and Wanda. Once the area was semi-clear, she spotted Steve standing with Natasha looking out into the distance. The four of them made their way over to the duo, who looked like hell. To be fair, they all did.

“Romanoff. Rogers,” Lily greeted them when they got closer.

“Jennings. It’s good to see you. Barton,” Steve reciprocated. Clint nodded. Wanda stood close next to him, almost using him as a shield. Pietro walked over to her and placed both hands on the sides of her face and stared into her familiar green eyes.

“Are you alright?” he asked her, concern ringing clear. Wanda only nodded her head before she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her brother. His hands fell from her face as he too embraced her. Pietro placed a little kiss on her head before pulling away. The twins stared into the distance. Sokovia was rising higher in the air. Ultron’s vision was coming true, and soon humanity would be doomed, but the twins couldn’t deny that the view looked amazing. Despite the destruction, as the twins looked out at the clouds and sky in front of them, they had agreed that their home had never looked this beautiful.

“I’m not leaving this rock with one civilian on it,” said Steve, his voice full of determination. His mind concentrated hard on a way to save as many people as possible and stop Ultron.

“I didn’t say we should leave,” Natasha said as she followed the twins’ gaze into the open air. “There’s worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?” Lily froze at her words. They reminded her of herself, and how she always knew that she would die on a mission, but unlike her, when Natasha was faced with the possible arrival of that fate, it didn’t faze her. Lily was scared. Yes, she accepted the fact that she could die on a mission, but she was still afraid of it happening. Even when she wasn’t working, whenever that thought crept up on her, it almost sent her into a panic attack.

The Avengers’ prayers were answered when a giant helicarrier rose next to the floating city. Lily smiled at the dramatic tendencies of S.H.I.E.L.D. and of its directory, Nick Fury. Smaller looking carriers flew from the helicarrier and docked themselves on the edges of the city. Hope had come for the city of Sokovia.

“This is S.H.I.E.L.D.?” Pietro asked in amazement.

“This is what S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to be,” replied Steve. Pietro smiled at this.

“This is not so bad.”

“Let’s load ‘em up,” Steve said as he ran to an intact building. He then ushered civilians to follow him to the lifeboats. In the air, Tony Stark flew by, following a small trail of robots who tried to ambush the carriers. But, they didn’t make it very far before they were foiled by Tony and Rhodey.

The rest of the Avengers followed Steve’s move and began to help move people to the carriers, hoping to get them out of the line of fire.

“Alright, let’s load ‘em up! Alright, here we go. Here we go, let’s move. Let’s go everyone!” Clint directed his own group of people with Lily helping him. Wanda had separated from them and found her own group to help. The three of the ushered the people into carriers, all the while making sure that Ultron and his iron legion weren’t coming. Once one group was in a carrier, another group rushed out, prepared to be brought to safety. Lily wasn’t focused on anything else, until she heard Tony’s voice in the comms.

_“Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier.” _She heard the brief confirmation from Rhodey before Tony continued. _“Avengers, time to work for a living.”_

The key to Ultron’s plan, laid in the middle of the city in an abandoned church. If he got his robotic hands on the core, everyone would die. The Avengers made their way to the church, desperate to protect the core from Ultron and his minions. When Clint and Lily arrived, most of the team was already gathered.

“You good?” Pietro asked his sister as he ran over to her.

“Yeah.”

“Romanoff, you and Banner better not be playing ‘hide the zucchini’,” Tony said in a playful manner.

_“Relax, Shell-head. Not all of us can fly,” _she responded through the comms. After a minute, she joined the team in the church and took her place besides Clint, standing between him and the Hulk. “What’s the drill?”

“That’s the drill,” Tony said pointing to the vibranium core. “If Ultron gets his hands on the core, we lose.”

“I don’t know about you guys, but I hate losing,” Lily said, trying to ease the tension of the situation. Clint chuckled next to her and Natasha sent her a look. Before she could respond to her friend’s joke, Ultron flew up to the front of the church. This was the first time that Lily had seen Ultron, and he was terrifying. Thor took a step towards him, challenging him.

“Is that the best you can do?” the god of thunder asked in a loud voice. Ultron raised his hand and thousands more of his robots flooded the area around the church, surrounding the Avengers on all sides.

“You had to ask,” Steve said in annoyance as he shot a look at Thor. He too took a step towards Ultron.

“This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you, against all of me. How could you possibly hope to stop me?” Despite his robot features and voice, Lily could still hear the smugness in his voice. He shared Tony’s overconfidence.

“Well, like the old man said. Together,” Tony said as the robots started flooding into the church, each one trying to get their hands on the core. The Avengers acted a unit, fighting in fluid motions. They maneuvered themselves in ways where no one compromised the other. Pietro sped around, running into the robots that managed to get through. Wanda’s red hex filtered through the room as she took out robots in the air and on the ground. Those that could fly, focused on the aerial attacks. The Hulk jumped around the inside of the church doing what he does best; smash. Clint, Natasha, Steve, and Lily exhausted their talents on the ground troops.

With the teamwork of the entire team, Ultron’s army had been defeated, and Tony, Thor, and who Lily didn’t recognize took on the robot. They blasted him out of the church, and he resisted, but he was no match for their combined power. The heat from their blasts scorched and melted his face and body, leaving him deformed.

“You know, with the benefit of hindsight—” the Hulk charged at him, knocking him away from the Avengers. The remaining robots started to retreat at the sight of the Hulk and at their imminent defeat.

“They’ll try to leave the city,” said Thor.

“We can’t let ‘em, not even one. Rhodey!” Tony called to his friend, who saw the retreating robots.

_“I’m on it. Oh on, I didn’t say you could leave. War Machine, comin’ at you, right—”_ Rhodey’s sentence was interrupted by the newcomer, who went by Vision, who took out the last of the robots, leaving Rhodey confused. _“Okay, what?” _Still standing in the church, Steve looked at the remaining Avengers. He was a little out of breath, a little relieved, but still worried. _Classic Steve_.

“We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I’ll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you.”

“What about the core?” Clint asked stopping the Captain. Wanda stepped closer to the core, standing next to it. She stood with a new confidence that Lily never noticed before, and for some reason, she felt proud.

“I’ll protect it. It’s my job,” she said holding her hands out allowing her red hex to appear, readying herself in case more robots came. Steve and Natasha nodded at her as they left the church. Clint smiled at her, also feeling proud of her newfound confidence, before following Steve and Natasha. Lily and Pietro stayed put in the church. Lily didn’t want to leave Wanda, her vision coming back to the forefront of her mind. “Get the people on the boats.” Lily knew that she was talking to both her and Pietro. They both didn’t move.

“I’m not going to leave you here,” Pietro said as he took a protective step towards his sister. Lily gazed at them with love in her eyes. She thought it was cute that even with all that was going on, Pietro’s one concern was Wanda.

“I can handle this,” Wanda said as she blasted an approaching robot. Pietro huffed, but started to leave. “Come back for me when everybody else is off, not before.”

“Hmm,” Pietro grunted with an annoyed confirmation.

“You understand?” Wanda kept drilling it in his head.

“You know, I’m twelve minutes older than you,” Pietro said with a humorous smile on his face. In the short time that Lily spent around him, she had come to realize that despite his “maturity”, he still had a childish nature about him.

“Go,” Wanda chuckled at her brother who sped off towards the boats. Wanda shifted her gaze to Lily. Her bight green eyes connected with Lily’s blue ones, and Lily felt the tiniest bit uncomfortable. “What are you still doing here? They need your help with the boats.”

“I’m going to stay and protect you.” 

“I can protect myself.”

“I don’t doubt that, but everyone could use a little extra help.” Lily was hoping that the young girl wouldn’t try to push her away. The dread that Lily had felt a few hours beforehand had come back, and Lily was sure that it had to do with her vision of Wanda. It was going to happen soon, and when it inevitably did, Lily wanted to be there to change it. Much to Lily’s happiness, Wanda didn’t fight her. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt some sort of connection to the young woman who looked familiar, but Wanda couldn’t place her.

The two women stood in silence; neither knew what to say to the other. They were still practically strangers. Yet, Lily still wanted to say something, anything to break the silence. She looked down at her feet, looked beyond the church, and glanced at Wanda.

“So…it looks like you guys have had some good weather recently.” Lily could feel Wanda’s glare burning through the back of her head. She dared look at the teenager, wanting to see what response was elicited by her words. Wanda’s face was twisted into one of confusion and annoyance, but it wasn’t the same annoyance that she shares with her brother. This wasn’t a playful annoyance; this was a genuine annoyance. Lily turned back to look out into the destroyed city of Sokovia, not meeting Wanda’s gaze again.

“Why do you talk about the weather?” Wanda finally asked after a few more minutes of silence passed between them. Her green eyes held intense questioning for the reasoning behind the woman.

“No reason in particular,” Lily said. “It’s…it’s just silence makes me uncomfortable, so I wanted to break it.” Wanda nodded as if she understood, but Lily doubted if she understood it on Lily’s level.

“What will happen to me and my brother after today?” Wanda asked in a quiet voice. Lily felt her heart break at hearing the fear in Wanda’s voice. Lily didn’t know Wanda’s story, but judging by the fear she knew it wasn’t a happy one. Lily turned and walked over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her blue eyes met Wanda’s green ones, and Lily felt every ounce of sadness and tragedy that had ever befallen Wanda Maximoff.

She saw the death of her parents in the bombings at aged ten; she saw her and her brother living on the streets of Sokovia, eating nothing but scraps that were stolen from others to survive; she was the experimentations and torture that she and her brother suffered at by the hands of HYDRA; she saw the guilt of letting her anger motivate her to help Ultron. Lily gasped at the flashes of Wanda’s memories and she quickly removed her hand from the girl’s shoulder. She hadn’t meant to read her mind; usually she could control whose mind she could read and when. But Wanda’s memories flowed straight into her mind without her wanting to, as if Wanda handed them to her.

“Well, you would probably have to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. for a bit, just to make sure that you’re not a threat. They’ll probably create a file of you and your brother and put you in their systems, but I think that’s the worst thing that will happen. Directory Fury knows that this isn’t your fault, so I doubt you’ll be arrested,” Lily noticed the girl widen her eyes at the thought of imprisonment. “And even if they want to arrest you, there’s no way that they Avengers will let them take you away. _I _won’t let them take you away.” Lily brought the scared girl into her arms and rubbed her hands up and down her back to calm her frightened mind.

“Will they let me become an Avenger?”

“I think that’s up to you.” Wanda smiled softly at the thought of doing good in the world, but it was cut short by the sound of rapid gunfire in the distance. Lily released Wanda and they both tensed, readying themselves for any threat that came at them, but nothing came. Lily was confused. _All the robots had been destroyed, right? Who was firing a gun? _


	5. Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.

From beside her, Lily heard Wanda let out a little painful gasp. Lily’s immediate instinct was that Wanda had been shot, and as she examined her body for bullet wounds, she became confused. Wanda stared off into the distance, her eyes wide and her mouth hung in shock. More robots swarmed, coming from every direction, all coming for the core. But Lily wasn’t worried about them.

“Wanda? Wanda, what is? Talk to me, what hurts?” Lily tried to get the girl to talk to her, but instead Wanda’s legs wobbled and she fell to her knees and let out an ear-piercing scream. It was filled with so much pain that Lily felt it deep in her core. Uncontrolled red energy flew from the grieving girl and obliterated any nearby robots. Lily knelt down besides Wanda and took the girl back into her arms. Wanda was full-on sobbing now, her tears turning her green eyes red.

Lily didn’t understand what had caused this sudden change in the girl, but she was there to comfort her. Wanda allowed herself to fall into Lily’s embrace and accepted her comfort, though it did little to help her. She had felt it; she felt her brother die. Her twin, her other half, her only family left. She felt him _die_. She felt each and every bullet enter his body. She felt him choke out enough energy to speak his annoying catchphrase, _“You didn’t see that coming?”_ She felt his heart stop as he fell to the cold hard ground. She felt it all, but the most painful thing she felt was the regret of sending him away from her and her guilt for not being able to protect him. But there was one other thing she felt; she felt _angry_. She knew that Ultron was responsible for her brother’s death and she _hated_ him more she ever thought she could.

Wanda’s sobbing stopped. She lifted her head and wiped the remaining tears away. Her eyes glowed red as her magic twirled around her fingers. Lily looked into her eyes and saw nothing but anger. Wanda stood up from the dusty ground of the church, Lily’s arms falling from her rigid body. Wanda exited the church, ignoring Lily’s pleas and cries. She needed to find Ultron. She needed to make him pay for what he did to her.

After spending multiple minutes searching for the evil robot, Wanda finally found him, laying in a broken bus. She entered the bus and took slow and steady movements. She wanted to relish this. She stalked her brother’s murderer, moving her magic around her fingers. Her breathing was heavy and became heavier the more she looked at the metal menace. Upon hearing her delicate footsteps, Ultron turned his head towards his ex-partner. He looked at her with sympathy. He didn’t mean to kill Pietro, and maybe he felt a sense of…remorse…for his actions, but Wanda didn’t care if he had meant to do it or not.

Kneeling next to the broken robot, she stared into his glowing red eyes that she was sure mirrored her own.

“Wanda,” his robotic voice whispered. “If you stay here, you’ll die.” Wanda held her tongue to keep her from saying how she didn’t care for his sympathy.

“I just did. Do you know how it felt?” Wanda asked the robot but didn’t wait for a response. She brought up her hand and maneuvered the red energy into Ultron’s damaged body, looking for his heart. _No, he didn’t have a heart. _Her hex wrapped itself around Ultron’s core, and when he felt Wanda’s magic tugging on the core, he let out a soft grunt of pain, right before the small metal sphere came flying out of his chest, right into Wanda’s hand. Oil leaked from the core and sparks fired from it, missing the entity that it was bonded to. Wanda glanced at the ball before turning her attention back to the dying robot. “It felt like that.” Wanda didn’t stay with his dying body.

Exiting the bus, Wanda stood beside a stable looking building. Leaning against its wall, Wanda once again broke down in tears, trying to rid herself of her anger and pain. At that moment, the entire ground shook as the city started to fall from the sky.

“Wanda!” Wanda glanced up and saw Lily running towards her. They needed to get to a boat, and fast. With each second Sokovia fell faster and faster, preparing itself to collide with the earth. Under the pressure of the intense earthquake that was caused by the descension of the city, the building that Wanda was standing against began to crack and fall. Lily ran faster, hoping to save the girl from her fate. Jemma’s words played on repeat in her mind; _the future is not written in stone. It can always be changed. Change it._

Wanda instinctively caught the falling building with her powers and tried to stop it from falling, but Lily could see that it was too heavy for the young girl to hold much longer. More pieces of the building began to crumble and fall, adding to the weight that Wanda bore. Wanda cried out in pain as she the pressure on her mind grew stronger. She focused hard on her powers, trying to keep the building from falling on her, but she couldn’t hold it any longer. No matter how hard she concentrated, she felt her magic slipping. Pieces of debris fell around her, scaring her. She didn’t want to die, not here, not like this.

Wanda’s grasp on the falling debris slipped altogether, and Wanda closed her eyes, anticipating the pain of her death, but instead she felt a strong force knock her away. Her body hit the concrete hard, but she didn’t care. She opened her eyes and saw that she was laying a couple of feet away from the building that had fully collapsed. Wanda looked around. She didn’t see the mysterious woman who was running at her only moments before. Realization hit her hard; the woman pushed her out of the way. Wanda ran back over the collapsed building and started moving debris. There, laying in the rubble was the body of the mysterious woman, who was always there for Wanda.

Lily weakly opened her eyes, lifted her head, and looked at the brunette. She sent her a weak smile as Wanda stared down at her with fresh tears in her eyes. She had saved her. She saved Wanda. She changed her vision.

“Why?” Wanda croaked out as she started to cry over this woman who gave her life for a girl she didn’t even know.

“Y-you…remind me…of h-her.” Lily sighed. Her breathing was ragged and pained. She thought her last thought; Jemma. The one person she loved more than anyone in the world. She thought of the smell of her hair after she just stepped foot out of the shower. She thought of the way that she would stick her tongue out whenever she was deeply concentrating. She thought of how she would always talk to Griffon in a baby voice whenever she would hold him, and how cute the both of them looked. She thought of how beautiful she looked on the day that they got married, and how their first date was a total flop, but she still gave Lily another chance. She thought of how she would always get so frustrated whenever she couldn’t come up with a good idea for her dream novel. She hoped that the perfect idea would come to her someday. She wished she could keep her promise to come back. _At least she’ll be taken care of_. She wished she could see her one last time, to hold her one last time, to kiss her one last time, to hear her laugh one last time. But, she’ll have to settle for the memories.

Wanda stayed beside her, not wanting to leave. She held her head in her lap, smoothing the little bit of black hair that had come out of its braid behind her ear, much like she had done for her hours before. Lily looked up at Wanda, her blue eyes meeting her red-rimmed green ones one last time. She was glad she wasn’t alone. She gave Wanda a big smile, relief flooding her face; she didn’t feel that pain anymore. Her eyes lost the familiar shine as they stared into Wanda’s. Wanda cried harder as she held onto the lifeless woman’s head. Two arms came around Wanda from behind. She looked up through her tears and met the eyes of the android, Vision. He delicately picked her up in his arms and flew the two of them away from the city, right before a blast of lightning flooded through the familiar streets. Wanda looked down, trying to get one more look of the woman who saved her life, but she was gone. In more ways than one.


	6. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers deal with the aftermath of Sokovia.

Wanda buried her tear-stained face into the chest of the android. She wanted him to leave her there. She wanted to die beside the woman. She wanted to die like her brother. She wanted Vision to go back and grab her savior, but she knew he couldn’t. Her heart broke at the thought of this woman’s family mourning her death and hating her for not bringing back her body. What difference did it make if people hated her? She hated herself enough. Everything that had happened had been her fault; her and her brother’s, but you can’t blame the dead.

Wanda wasn’t paying attention to where Vision was taking her. Her eyes remained closed as she tried to force herself to stop the tears that came. She never liked crying, especially in front of others, and yet here she was; crying into the chest of an android. After a few minutes, she felt his grip on her loosen. Opening her eyes and turning her face away from his chest, Wanda noticed that they were on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. As he set her down on the runway, Vision knelt beside her and placed and gentle and comforting hand on her leg, while looking into her eyes.

“I am incredibly sorry for your loss,” his soft British accent warmed her heart but did nothing to ease the pain. “Your brother and Ms. Jennings deserved much better than the fate that they received. But, it is not your fault, Miss Maximoff. Do not blame yourself. They wouldn’t want you to do that to yourself.” _How would you know what they would want? They’re dead, who cares what they think of me?_ Wanda bit her tongue. She knew the android was just trying to help, but his words didn’t take away the regret and guilt that she felt.

As the helicarrier rose a little higher in the air, Vision grabbed Wanda’s hand and lifted her up from her spot on the runway. He turned her in the direction of the door that would lead them into the craft and draped his arm around her shoulders, holding her close to him. Her sobbing had stopped, but she was still trembling—though Vision thought it was because of the decrease in temperature and not because of the shock of the day’s trauma—and tears still fell from her now red eyes and after every couple of breaths, Vision heard it waver and tremble.

“Come, we must get inside,” he said guiding her along. Wanda didn’t answer him. She just blindly followed him inside the helicarrier. The inside of the carrier was dark and significantly quieter than the outside where they just were. Vision guided the girl through the darker hallway, leading her into a more open room—the control room. In front of them were large windows that showed the bright open sky ahead of them. There, standing on the little platform a little way away from them, stood a tall bald man. He held a very commanding presence and a sense of authority rolled off of him. Wanda could only guess that he was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Below him were a multitude of computers and people that were stationed at each one, working hard. A tall woman with brown hair pinned up in a professional manner walked through each row, making sure that people were doing their jobs. The rest of the Avengers stood around the man, having not noticed that Wanda and Vision had entered the room. They stood tired after the day’s events. They were dirty and battered. Their uniforms had tears and dirt and drying blood stained in spots, and their skin matched. Some of the Avengers had larger wounds then others, but they would all survive. _They were lucky_.

Clint was the first one to notice their presence. He turned from his spot besides Natasha and ran over to Wanda and Vision.

“Oh, thank God you’re safe,” he said sighing in relief as he brought the young girl into his arms in a bear hug. The archer held onto her, squeezing her tightly as if she would disappear from him if he let her go. “I thought you were dead.” Wanda felt his tears as she heard the worry and fear in his voice. Clint pulled away from her and grabbed her face in his hands. He didn’t care that they were still strangers. He felt a bond with the young Maximoff twins, and it only strengthened after Pietro’s death.

Wanda gave Clint a sad smile, her own tears still sliding down her cheeks, before responding to him in a quiet and sad voice.

“I’m okay.” Realization hit Clint as he exchanged looks between Wanda and Vision. They were the only other ones here. Lily Jennings wasn’t with them.

“Hey, where’s Lily?” he asked, addressing the whole room, but keeping his eyes on Wanda. Wanda looked away from his gaze, more tears coming to her eyes as she thought of her savior. Clint turned away from her and looked towards the rest of the Avengers who just stood in silence as the realization of their missing partner crept into their minds. “Did anyone have eyes on Lily?” He asked again. The rest of the team shook their heads and mumbled variations of “no”. Clint started to panic. He shouldn’t have let her out of his sight. He blamed himself for her disappearance. Clint barely heard the quiet little squeak that Wanda released from behind him. Vision stepped closer to the girl, who was once again starting to sob.

“It’s okay,” he said quietly, enough for Wanda and Clint to hear.

“It…it’s my fault,” said the girl as she erupted into a sob. Vision wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. Wanda grabbed hold of Vision’s cape and held onto him tightly as she tried to stop her sobbing.

“What do you mean it’s your fault?” Clint asked, afraid of the answer after Wanda had calmed down a little. Tears returned to his eyes. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Wanda say it. The rest of the team was staring at them, their pain-filled eyes burned into Wanda, silently demanding that she answer their collective question.

“After I felt my bond with Pietro snap when he died, I felt all this pain and anger. I was angry at Ultron, so I left my post and went to find him to get revenge. I found him…and killed him, but then the city started to fall. One of the buildings that was near me started to fall. I-I-I tried to stop it. I caught it…but it was too heavy, I c-couldn’t hold it,” Wanda’s heart was beating fast and her breathing became fast and shallow. “M-my magic was slipping. I saw her running, but I couldn’t make her stop. I let go of the building. I waited for it to crush me, but…I didn’t feel anything.”

Steve looked away towards the big windows. Natasha brought a hand up to wipe away the small tear that leaked from her eye and looked down at her feet, covering her face with her hair. She wasn’t going to cry, not here, not in front of everyone. Clint’s heart broke and descended into the pit of his stomach. Thor looked down, a look of anger on his face. Wanda continued.

“I didn’t ask her to do it. I didn’t even know she did it. I looked and saw that I was safe, and then I saw the rubble. I ran over to her, and s-she…smiled at me. She looked so…so at…peace. When I asked her why she did what she did, she said…said it was because she was reminded of ‘her’. Then she stared into my eyes and smiled before…before…” Natasha didn’t wait to hear her finish. She quickly walked out of the room, brushing past Wanda, Clint and Vision. “I’m sorry.” She paused for a second, acknowledging the girl’s apology before leaving the room. Wanda noticed that the tall man and the woman with dark brown hair were also listening to her story. Nick Fury bowed his head and sighed, but the woman, Maria, she too had tears in her eyes. She stood frozen in her spot in the middle of the isle. Nick looked at her.

“Hill?” She ignored him.

“Hill?” he tried again, calling her name louder. Maria snapped out of it and looked at Nick Fury.

“Yes, sir?” She said trying to regain her professional composure. She wiped her tears and put on a brave and serious face.

“Go check on Agent Romanoff, and then take a break,” he said directing her. Maria nodded her head and followed Natasha’s trail out of the command room. Nick then turned to the rest of the Avengers and Wanda. “And that goes for everyone here. Go rest, all of you. Barton, can you lead Miss Maximoff to her quarters, please?” Clint nodded before leading the girl out of the command room, the rest of the Avengers in tow.

○○○

Clint led Wanda to a small empty room with minimal decorations. It had a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, a small closet and a small bookshelf. Besides the dresser, Wanda noticed another door, that when opened revealed a small bathroom. Wanda sat on the edge of the bed and put her head into her hands. The guilt was eating her alive and it killed her. She never felt pain like this; not when her parents died when she was young, not when the people of HYDRA tortured her, and not even when Pietro died and she lost her home. Being the direct cause of an innocent person’s death hurt her more than any of that.

“It’s my fault. I killed her,” she said, knowing that Clint was still standing in the doorway, watching her. She heard him sigh before he walked towards her and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close so that her head was resting on his shoulder. He then took his free hand and wiped her tears away before moving it around the front of her body, interlocking his fingers together, keeping the girl trapped in his embrace. Wanda breathed in, inhaling the faint smell of his cologne.

“It’s not your fault, kid.” 

“Everyone blames me.” 

“That’s not true, no one blames you,” Clint’s heart broke at the thought of anyone pinning the blame on Wanda. The poor kid had been through enough; they all had.

“Yes, they do. I can hear their thoughts. They’re so loud; their guilt, their pain, and their blame. I can hear it.” Wanda buried her face into Clint’s shoulder, shielding herself from the loud sound of the Avengers’ thoughts. Clint attempted to look at her, confusion and anger in his eyes.

“Who blames you? Steve?” Clint started listing off the names of his teammates. Wanda shook her head; not Steve. “Thor?” She shook her head again. “Vision?” Wanda once again shook her head, though to be honest, she wasn’t sure. She couldn’t read Vision’s mind like the others and she didn’t know why. “Not me?” he asked. He didn’t blame her, but he had to be certain. She shook her head again, and Clint breathed a slight sigh of relief. Out of the Avengers, that only left Natasha. He hesitated before saying her name, already knowing the answer. “Nat?”

Of course, it was Natasha. She had a deeper connection to Lily than anyone else on the team had (other than Maria Hill). Lily had practically grown up with Natasha, having been together since Lily was fifteen when she joined S.H.I.E.L.D.. She trained under Natasha and Nat unofficially adopted her as her younger sister since Lily had always looked up to the ex-assassin. While Nat didn’t say this about everyone, she loved Lily. Lily was one of the few constants in her life, and she could always count on the younger woman to be there for her, whenever she needed her. And now, she was gone, so of course, Nat blamed Wanda. Clint’s thoughts were proved correct when Wanda shook her head “yes”. She had always felt that the woman didn’t like her ever since Wanda showed Nat her worst fear, but now, there was a worse and more personal reason for the ex-assassin to hate her; she took away one of the few people that she loved.

Clint sighed. He didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like he could deny it by saying _“No that’s not true. Natasha doesn’t blame you.” _No, he couldn’t say that, because Wanda could hear Natasha blaming her. So, Clint was for once, at a loss for words. He just sat on the edge of Wanda’s bed, holding her and letting her cry on his shoulder.

After about a half hour of crying, Wanda’s breathing became heavy. Clint looked over at the girl and saw that she had fallen asleep. Clint was thankful that she had found some kind of peace after the day she had and had removed his arms from around her small frame, and gently leaned her down onto her pillows. Then, bending down, he lifted her legs onto the bed and stretched her out so that she was comfortable. He removed her high boots from her feet and placed them by on the floor by the bed, and took the blanket that was sitting at the foot of the bed and draped it over Wanda, tucking her in. Brushing the hair out of her face, Clint turned to leave. Taking one more look at the sleeping girl, he shut off the light and left, closing the door behind him.

Clint paused a minute outside of her bedroom door. A lot had happened today, and it was a lot to take in. While he didn’t know Lily as much as Nat or Maria, he knew her better than the rest of the team, and this was thanks to the couple of hours they shared on the Quinjet early that morning. God, it felt like a lifetime ago. It was hard to believe that she was dead. Only a couple of hours ago, the two were laughing and joking like old friends; spending the flight time telling each other stories of their families. He thought of Jemma, who would be destroyed at hearing this unfortunate news. Clint never met her, but through the stories that Lily told, he felt that he knew her, and he was sad that the first time they would meet would be because of Lily’s death.

Clint shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts and walked down the hall, looking for Natasha. He hated that she was blaming Wanda for what happened with Lily. Everyone else could see that it wasn’t Wanda’s fault that Lily died. Why couldn’t Nat understand that?

Finding Natasha’s room, Clint knocked on her door. It wasn’t a gentle knock, and part of Clint felt bad. He didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but he couldn’t help the anger that started to bubble up inside him. Natasha opened the door, her eyes red and glazed; she had clearly been crying. Clint had seen her crying before, but it still shocked him; it wasn’t a frequent sight.

“Can I come in?” Clint asked after a minute of standing in her doorway. Natasha moved out of the way and opened the door wider. Clint didn’t say a word as he walked in and made himself comfy on her bed while Natasha closed the door. She turned and stood in front of Clint, her arms folded across her chest, not speaking. She stared at the archer, trying to look intimidating, but coming off annoyed. _Her defense mechanism._

“What do you want, Clint?” she asked. Her voice sounded raw, a side effect from the crying. Clint softened his gaze; he knew she was hurting.

“I didn’t want you to be alone,” he said, which was true, but not the only reason why he was there in her room sitting on her bed. Natasha looked at him and raised an eyebrow, not believing him. She shifted her stance, leaning a bit to the right as she put all her weight on that foot.

“What’s the real reason you’re here?” she asked him. She wasn’t in the mood for games. She just wanted him to say what he needed to say and then get the hell out so she could go back to crying. Clint sighed and stood from the bed, walking over to Natasha.

“Why are you blaming Wanda for what happened?” Natasha stared into his blue eyes. She was shocked by his words but was careful not to let it show. She wondered how he knew she blamed the witch for her friend and sister’s death and having not been familiar with the full extent of Wanda’s powers, she naturally didn’t expect her to tell him.

“Who said I was blaming Wanda?”

“You are though, aren’t you?”

“…Lily died saving her. If Wanda didn’t go after Ultron…,” Natasha stopped herself. She felt her voice grow louder as she thought back on Wanda’s story of Lily’s demise. “If she had just stayed at her post, Lily would still be here.” Clint placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders, wishing that he could help her through her grief.

“Wanda did what she thought was right. Give her a break, she’s just a kid.”

“A kid who brought about all this trouble to begin with! She helped start all this by siding with Ultron in the first place, and we’re just going to gloss over that fact?” Natasha shook Clint’s hands off of her and walked over to her dresser. She was angry and needed someone to blame, and unfortunately that fell to Wanda.

“Nat, you know that’s not fair.” 

“She knew what she was doing, Clint.”

“You know you’re not the only one hurting, okay? I knew Lily too, maybe not as long as you, but damnit Nat, I knew her too. And if she were here, she would not want us beating down on a kid!” Clint raised his voice, not really caring if he hurt her, because she needed a reality check.

“She’s not here though, Clint. She’s not here, and you wanna know why? Because Wanda killed her. She killed her, and now she’s here playing us for fools with her sob story. Now I don’t doubt that Lily sacrificed herself for Wanda, because that’s totally something that she would do, but what I do doubt is that Wanda felt anything towards her at all. They didn’t even know each other.” 

“That doesn’t mean that she doesn’t feel compassion. She’s not a fucking monster, Nat!” Clint took a breath to steady himself. He wanted to be the rational one, and even if Natasha lost her composition, he wasn’t going to lose his. “You didn’t see them together. They had some sort of connection that I’ve never seen between two people who just met. And you weren’t with Wanda twenty minutes ago. She is completely heartbroken about Lily. This isn’t just a sob story or an act, this is _real_. What she’s feeling is _real_. And I know you have other reasons for being mad at her, by all means be mad at her for that, but don’t you _dare_ blame her for _this_.” Clint turned away from Natasha and headed for her door. Resting his hand on the knob, he paused a second and turn his head slightly towards Natasha one last time. “You know she lost someone today, too.” Clint left Natasha only with her thoughts.

Natasha closed her eyes as she body trembled as she sobbed. She felt horrible; she forgot about her brother. She regretted the words that she said to Clint and she regretted blaming Wanda, but she still couldn’t let go of the anger. Natasha walked into her conjoined bathroom and turned on the faucet. Standing in front of the mirror, she looked at her reflection. She cringed at what she saw; her green eyes were red and bloodshot and puffy, her face was also red and soaked from her tears, her red hair stuck out like a mess from the bun that she had thrown together in a rush. She looked atrocious. She laughed a humorless laugh to herself; _If Lily were here she’d tease you for looking like this_. But Lily’s wasn’t here. Natasha dipped her hands in the water, cupping them like a bowl, and brought her hands up to splash the water on her face. The cold water felt good on her hot face. She splashed the water on her face a couple more times, trying to cool herself down and to relieve the puffiness in her face and eyes.

Leaving the bathroom, Natasha walked over to where her phone was sitting on the bed. She knew what she needed to do, but she was afraid. She unlocked her phone and into her contacts. She scrolled through a list of names, searching for her name. Natasha sighed deeply when she tapped on Jemma’s number. She never expected that she would have to make this call, but she promised Lily that if something happened to her, the Natasha would be the one to tell Jemma. The selfish part of her was glad that she didn’t have to tell her in person, that it would be harder to tell her that her wife was dead then to be Jemma hearing it. The phone rang and Natasha held her breath. She had hit “call” before she even had taken the time to think out what she was going to say to Jemma when she picked up. She hoped that she wouldn’t; that she would be sleeping and chose to ignore the call to give Natasha more time, but when she heard the quiet _“Hello?”_ on the other end of the line, Natasha froze.

_“Hello? Natasha?” _Jemma’s tired and anxious voice filled the silence of the room.

“Hey, Jemma.” She tried to sound natural and not panicky or like she was about to break down as she talked to the wife of her dead friend.

_“Natasha, what’s going on? How did the mission go?” _Jemma’s voice held the tinniest bit of panic and Natasha felt the need to smack herself. She never called Jemma, so of course she had assumed that something bad happened. Figures this was the one time she was right. Natasha took a deep breath, preparing herself to tell Jemma what happened.

“Look, Jemma, I need you to do me a favor, okay?”

_“…Okay.” _

“I need you to meet me at the Avengers’ tower? We’ll be stopping there for a short while and then we’ll be moving to a new facility upstate. There’s something that I have to tell you, and it can’t be said over the phone.” Natasha sighed, feeling like she was doing the right thing. She was going to tell Jemma in person. She knew the waiting would make Jemma anxious, and she felt horrible for putting the young woman through this only to deliver a more crushing blow in person, but she just couldn’t bring herself to tell her over the phone.

Jemma was silent for a few seconds before she said, _“Okay. Is everything okay?”_

And there it was. Natasha closed her eyes; she wasn’t making this easy. She didn’t want to lie to her, but she didn’t know what to say.

“I’ll explain everything when I see you. We’re en route now and should be there in couple of hours. I’ll call you when we’re close.”

_“Okay.”_

“Bye Jemma.”

_“Bye Nat.” _Natasha released a shaky breath when she heard the click on Jemma’s end, knowing that she now hung up. _If that was hard, how will actually telling her feel like?_


	7. Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma learns the truth about Lily's fate.

Jemma paced around the empty apartment; anxiety rolled off her in waves. She didn’t want to expect the worst had happened, but Lily did say she would call when they finished, and the only call she had received was from Natasha (who was definitely hiding something). She could feel herself starting to panic as the silence in the apartment grew louder. Her heart pounded hard against her chest, and her hands started to shake. _No, no, no. Not now, please not now. Okay, calm down, Jemma. Calm down. Everything’s okay. It’s okay. Just calm down. She’ll call. She’ll call. Calm down._ Jemma sat on the cold hardwood floor and placed her head in her lap and closed her eyes tightly. She was used to getting panic attacks, and she was used to getting them when she was alone, so she knew what she had to do to calm herself down. _Thank God_.

Griffon looked over at Jemma curiously from his spot on the loveseat. He watched her as her breath trembled as Jemma tried to steady her breathing. Sensing her distress, he stood up on the couch, stretched and yawned, and jumped down. He walked over to her slumped body that sat against the kitchen island and he rubbed his orange head against her thigh. He sat down beside her, doing his best to comfort his friend. Without lifting her head, Jemma acknowledge the feline’s attempts to help, and gave him a soft pat on the head.

“Good boy,” she muttered. Griffon purred softly in response to her soft hands rubbing his ears and face. Jemma and Griffon sat like that for a few more minutes, and when Jemma felt calm enough to stand, she picked up the feline and carried him and herself back over to the loveseat and sat down. She held the cat in her lap and grabbed the TV remote from the coffee table and turned it on, putting on _The Office_. She needed a distraction. Griffon sat on her lap, content, as she pet him some more. She couldn’t stop herself from glancing at her phone ever couple minutes as she waited for Natasha to call her back. Still, she was dressed and ready to go the minute she called.

As Jemma watched the episode, she couldn’t help the yawn that escaped her lips. She was exhausted. Ever since Lily had left early that morning, she didn’t sleep; not one wink. How could she? Her wife and love of her life was off in another country fighting a robot who was hellbent on destroying all of humanity, and she was worried. Her mind couldn’t let her rest, not even for an hour. She knew that if Lily found out that she had been up all night and didn’t sleep she would make her go to bed that instant and wouldn’t let her leave until she made up for it. She chuckled at the thought of Lily worrying about her, as if Jemma not sleeping was anything compared to Lily fighting a war.

“We’re in trouble aren’t we?” she asked Griffon as if he could understand her, let alone hear what she had just been thinking, and yet, he answered her with soft _“Meow”_, causing Jemma to laugh a little, easing her anxiety.

○○○

After a few hours of mindlessly watching reruns of _The Office_, Jemma’s phone finally rang, scaring both her and Griffon who had jumped off of Jemma’s lap and ran into her bedroom. Jemma sat up from where she was laying down on the couch and quickly checked the caller ID to make sure it was Natasha before she answered.

“Hello, Nat?”

_"__Hey, Jemma. I just wanted to call to let you know that we’re almost at the tower. We should be there in about twenty minutes.”_ Jemma noticed that Natasha’s voice sounded different than when she called her a few hours ago, but it didn’t matter to her. She immediately jumped up from the couch and ran into her bedroom looking for her shoes.

“Okay, I’ll start getting ready now, and then I’ll head out to meet you guys.”

_“Okay, see you soon.”_

“See you soon.” Jemma ended the call and put on her shoes. Her anxiety came back as she ran around the apartment making sure that she had everything that she needed. She was still confused as to why Lily didn’t call her yet. _Maybe she was tired? But Lily always made and effort to call her, even when she was tired. Maybe she fell asleep? _Jemma shrugged the thought away as she double checked that she had her phone, wallet and keys. She yelled a goodbye to Griffon who had gone into hiding as she left the apartment.

She practically skipped down the steps of her building in excitement. She always missed Lily when she was at work and she couldn’t wait to see her and give her a big kiss. A huge smile was plastered on her face as she unlocked her car door and put the key in ignition. Putting it in drive, she pulled out of her parking space and drove in the direction of the Avengers’ tower. She and Lily lived at least fifteen minutes away, so Jemma figured that she and the team would be arriving at roughly the same time.

She cursed to herself at the incompetent drivers that she was forced to share the road with. She hated driving, especially at this time of day; it was rush-hour and everyone was either trying to get into the city or leave it. She could see the tower. It stood tall and proud, like the team itself. As the sun started to go down, the tower’s luminescent lights filled the sky. Seeing the tower, Jemma couldn’t help but feel proud. She may worry about Lily a lot, but she was extremely and genuinely proud of what she and the rest of the Avengers did for the world. The world was a much better and safer place with them protecting it.

Pulling up to the tower, Jemma parked the car in the empty spot, put a few quarters in the meter, paying only enough for an hour (she couldn’t imagine why she would be staying longer than that), and walked inside the building. Thankfully for Jemma, Tony and Natasha called to inform security that Jemma was expected, so when she walked in and gave her name, they allowed her to pass through. Now that she was finally in the building, her anxiety began to arise again, and all the bad thoughts that she had suppressed were resurfacing. Jemma breathed deeply, refusing to have another panic attack, especially in front of the Avengers. She composed herself and rode the elevator to the top floor, assuming that that was were Natasha wanted to meet her, since she didn’t give a specific floor.

The elevator ride was quiet, the only sound being the hum of the machinery and Jemma’s beating heart. She once again breathed deeply, trying to calm herself down. She had nothing to worry about, right?

“Calm down, Jemma. Everything’s fine. Everything’s fine,” she said to herself calmly, still trying to quiet her beating heart.

“Is there anything I can get you, Miss?” a disembodied voice spoke out, scaring Jemma.

“Jesus Christ! What is that?” Jemma asked in a panic at the sudden voice.

“My name is F.R.I.D.A.Y.. I am an assistant for Mr. Stark. Is there anything I can get you?” F.R.I.D.A.Y. asked again in a gentle voice. Jemma was still freaked out over the disembodied voice.

“Where’s your body?” she asked slightly afraid.

“I am a natural-language user interface created by Tony Stark. I was designed to work with his Iron Man suit but have also been configured to work with the Avengers’ tower. I do not possess a body.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. responded.

“Okay?...” Jemma said uneasily.

“I’ll alert Mr. Stark of your arrival.” Jemma only nodded. The elevator stopped after a few more minutes, its metal doors opened to reveal a lavish living area complete with couches, a pool table and a full bar. Jemma knew of Tony Stark’s love for the extravagant but didn’t think he loved it this much. Despite the extravagance, it was a beautiful set-up and Jemma felt a bit jealous about not being able to live here. As Jemma marveled at the large room, F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice alerted her once more.

“I have just announced your presence to Mr. Stark. Please, make yourself at home. He’ll be down to greet you momentarily.”

“Thank you,” Jemma said to the voice of the artificial intelligence before walking to the bar. Her nerves were out of control and her heart was still beating wildly; she definitely needed and deserved a drink. After taking a minute to decide what she wanted, Jemma grabbed a top-shelf bottle of Scotch before pouring herself a glass. She sighed quickly before downing the liquid in one gulp. It burned her throat as it went down, but Jemma didn’t care. She poured herself another, and again downed it. As she finished her second glass, she heard the elevator door open and the voice of no other than Tony Stark.

“I see you’ve made yourself at home, alright,” the billionaire said as he walked from the elevator over to the bar. Jemma’s eyes widened as she realized what she was doing. She put the bottle down and walked out from behind the bar.

“Mr. Stark, I am so sorry, please forgive—”

“I was just kidding, you’re fine. You’re Jemma Jennings, right?” he asked as he took the bottle and poured himself a glass and refilled Jemma’s.

“It’s actually Barnes. When Lily and I got married, we figured since we were already breaking the rules of a ‘traditional marriage’ so we decided not to take each other’s names,” She explained to the billionaire as she drank her drink. She didn’t know why she felt the need to explain the difference in their names, maybe it was because of all the times she and Lily were asked how they were married if they didn’t take each other’s name. Tony nodded as if he understood and refilled their glasses. They stood in silence for a couple of minutes, neither one knowing exactly what to say to the other. He downed his drink in one sip.

“It’s a shame that we’re just meeting. Lily never mentioned you before.” Jemma wasn’t surprised that Tony, and maybe even the rest of the Avengers didn’t know that she existed. Lily was a very private person and cared a lot about what others thought of her. While she had accepted the fact that she was gay and was proud of that fact and of her relationship with Jemma, Lily understood that there would always be people who wouldn’t accept her because of it, and it broke Jemma’s heart. It broke her heart that her wife had to hide her true self from her teammates and friends for fear of them not being able to accept her.

“Lily was afraid that people wouldn’t accept her for who she truly was. It wasn’t always easy, but she thought it would be less painful living in a lie then telling the truth and being let down. Besides, this isn’t my world. I don’t fit in with all this,” she said with a sad smile, gesturing around at the room they were in. Tony sighed and looked Jemma in her eyes. He had a sad look about him that Jemma couldn’t place. Then, lifting his glass that he had refilled slightly he spoke again.

“Well, then. To Lily; a braver soul then the rest of us.” Jemma too raised her glass and clinked it lightly against his before downing the liquid. Tony placed his empty glass on the counter and turned to look at Jemma.

“Well, I’m going to go finish packing up some stuff. I assumed you heard about our move to a new facility upstate, right? Well, you’re always welcome to visit, whenever you want. Just give me a ring,” Tony said handing her a business card with his name and number on it. “And seriously, Jemma Barnes, if you ever need anything, give me a call. I’ll take care of you. Okay? Okay.” Jemma didn’t answer the billionaire before he walked off, leaving her alone in the giant room. She thought his proposal was little odd, but she shook her head and placed his card in her pocket.

She turned back to the bar and filled her glass with water. She was still thirsty, and she knew she couldn’t keep drinking Scotch. As she took a sip of her water, Tony’s head popped back in startling Jemma. “Oh yeah, I remember what I was supposed to tell you. Natasha’ll be down in a few, she’s just helping with something on the jet, or something. I don’t know. She’ll be down soon.”

“Okay,” Jemma said with a little laugh at Tony’s awkwardness. _Iron Man, ladies and gentlemen._ Soon, he was gone again, and Jemma was alone once more. Every few minutes an Avenger would come out of the elevator, give Jemma a funny look, introduce themselves, and then leave, presumably to go pack their belongings to take to the new facility. Finally, Natasha appeared out of the elevator, and upon seeing Jemma, walked towards the bar and embraced the young woman. They were pretty much acquaintances, having only met a small number of times, but Jemma was more familiar with her than with the rest of the inhabitants.

“Hey Jemma, sorry for taking so long,” the redhead said as she pulled out of the embrace. Her voice was quiet and sounded like it was strained. She gave Jemma a fake smile and prayed that Jemma couldn’t tell.

“Hey Nat. It’s fine, I was just talking with Tony.”

“Oh boy,” Natasha gave a little laugh, trying to lighten the mood before they got to the reason behind Jemma’s visit. “Please tell me he didn’t hit on you. You know he has a habit of doing that to attractive women.” Jemma laughed and smiled brightly at the compliment and thought back to her and Tony’s interaction.

“Actually, no. He was very sweet and shared a couple drinks with me. I think the only reason he didn’t hit on me was because he knew I was married to Lily.” Jemma took another sip of her water. Natasha winced at the mention of Lily’s name. Her mind replayed the last few words that Jemma spoke; _“…I was married to Lily.” “…Was married to Lily.” Was. _Natasha fought very hard to keep herself from breaking down in front of Jemma. Jemma noticed her tense up and laid a small hand on her arm, causing Natasha to look up at her. “Hey, are you okay?”

It was such a simple question with such a heartbreaking answer. Natasha just wanted to grab Jemma by her shoulders tightly and say, _“No, Jemma I am not okay. I’m not okay because my best friend and sister and your wife is dead. She’s dead. Lily is dead and she’s not coming back. She died over in Sokovia, she died saving the life of a girl who practically cause this mess. She’s dead and I’m not okay.”_ But she couldn’t. She couldn’t break the news to her like that.

“Let’s go outside, huh?” Natasha asked, ignoring Jemma’s question. She had stalled enough, and now it was time that she told Jemma what happened. Natasha led the young woman out onto the balcony. The view of the city from the tower was beautiful; the sun had gone down completely, and the lights of the buildings, cars, and streetlights shone brightly in the night, and Natasha was sorry that such a beautiful sight would be tainted by the words she was about to say. “Jemma?” she asked causing the younger woman to remove her focus from the lights to the woman next to her. Natasha led her over to one of the few chairs that were set out and forced her down. Jemma looked at her, confused by her sudden change in emotion.

“Nat, what’s wrong?” Natasha inhaled and exhaled deeply. She needed to get this out now.

“Jemma, I need to tell you something. Something serious, okay?” Jemma nodded her head. “Something happened during the mission today. Something with Lily. T-there’s been an accident.” Jemma sat up straighter at the mention of Lily being in an accident. Worry began to course through her as she tried not to think of her wife hurt.

“What kind of accident?” Jemma asked, scared of the answer she would receive.

“We were in Sokovia, and Ultron rigged the city to fly out of the ground and become a meteor. That’s how he was going to destroy humanity. There was this girl, she’s enhanced with some kind of magic, and she…killed him. But while she killed him, one of his robot minions deactivated the mechanism that caused the city to rise higher in the air, and by turning it off, caused the city to start to fall.” Natasha paused to make sure Jemma understood what she had said and was processing the information. After a minute she continued. “Because the city was falling at such a fast speed, a lot of the buildings became unstable. And the one near the girl collapsed. She tried to stop it with her powers, but it was too heavy. The building collapsed, but Lily pushed the girl out of the way. She saved her life, but unfortunately, she…” Natasha couldn’t finish her sentence. Tears welled in her eyes again as she looked into Jemma’s brown eyes.

Jemma sat in her chair, shocked at the news she just heard. Her heart felt like it stopped and she felt numb. She let out a little gasp as the news truly hit her. Her eyes welled up with tears and her shaking hand flew up to cover her mouth as she choked out a sob. Jemma’s body trembled as her heart shattered after learning of her wife’s death. Natasha reached forward and brought her into her arms, rocking her gently as she too cried. Jemma’s loud sobs shook the Avengers tower.

Behind them, the rest of the team gathered, holding hands and sharing their own set of tears for their fallen teammate. Steve watched through the large windows as Jemma tried to push herself from Natasha and stand on her own, only to fall to her knees. Like most of the Avengers, Steve blamed himself, not that there was anything he could’ve done differently, but Lily was his friend.

She had heard about the legend of his sacrifice in 1945 and how he was found decades later, frozen in ice, and was inspired by his courage. When she met him in 2012, she was excited to meet her hero, and had expressed that she had always looked up to him and that he was her inspiration. He smiled faintly at the memory of taking the young woman under his wing, glad that he could inspire someone to do good. And through the years and the brief time that they spent together, Steve and Lily became best friends, and…now she was gone…and he didn’t even get to say goodbye. His heart went out to Jemma. He never met her, only heard about her through some stories that Lily told to him and Nat when they had little solo missions, but he couldn’t imagine what she was feeling.

Wanda did though. Wanda knew exactly what she was feeling, and not because she went through similar feelings earlier (and was still going through at that moment), but because she could _feel _Jemma’s own pain. Jemma’s thoughts screamed louder in Wanda’s head than anyone else’s in the room. She let out a little gasp as the pain hit her, causing pressure to build up in her mind and her heart. Steve looked over at her with concern. He understood her powers, to some extent, and knew that she could feel Jemma’s pain. He walked over to her and gave her a little hug before walking out onto the balcony.

Originally, Steve wanted to leave Jemma alone. To give her time to process, but he couldn’t escape the nagging voice in his head that instructed him to go to her and comfort her. So, he did. He walked onto the balcony and took the young grieving woman into his arms and held onto her, letting her tears soak his light grey t-shirt. Jemma grabbed fistfuls of his shirt in both her hands as she screamed in pain into his broad chest, but Steve didn’t mind. The fabric muffled her screams and sobs, making them only come out as regular cries. He didn’t know what to say. What could he say? What could he possibly tell this young woman, whose wife had died, to comfort her? There were no words. And that frustrated the super soldier, that of all the words in the English language, there wasn’t one that he could say in this instance.

The three of them, all caught up in their own grief didn’t notice when Wanda Maximoff came onto the balcony. She timidly took slow steps towards Steve and Jemma, afraid to scare either of them, or maybe she was scared that Jemma would scream at her and take her anger out on her, telling Wanda it was her fault, which it was.

As if he could hear her thoughts, Steve spoke saying, “It’s not your fault.”

Wanda looked up at him, not completely sure if he was talking to her. She felt the familiar lump form in her throat and tears come to her eyes. She didn’t want to start crying again. Jemma’s sobs had quieted down. She lifted her head off of Steve’s chest and looked the hero in his eyes. His once crystal-clear blue ones were now slightly red and filled with tears. Jemma reached a hand up and gently caressed his cheek. She didn’t say a word to him, yet he understood what he meant. He nodded his head and released her from his arms. The front of his shirt was damp, but he didn’t care.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out, his voice cracking as he stared Jemma in the eyes. “I wish I could’ve done more. I failed her.” He hung his head in defeat as he couldn’t hold the tears back anymore. Jemma returned the favor, and brought the broken soldier into her arms, rubbing his back as he sobbed. She didn’t say a word, though, afraid to hear her own raw voice. She turned her gaze to the unknown woman on the balcony. Upon looking at her, Jemma knew that this was the girl from Lily’s vision; the girl she had saved.

Jemma let go of Steve’s composed body and walked towards Wanda. Wanda turned her face away from the broken woman, afraid to be in her presence, feeling small under her gaze. Jemma stopped when she was directly in front of the girl, maybe arm’s length apart from her. She raised her right hand slowly as to not startle Wanda, and gently moved it to her face. She slowly turned Wanda’s head, forcing her to look at her. When she saw Wanda’s green eyes look into her brown ones, she placed her other hand on Wanda’s other cheek and gave her the best smile she could before she enveloped the girl in a big hug.

Wanda stood confused at the sudden action for a moment before wrapping her arms around the woman. She felt herself start to cry again at the comforting touch as all the pain from losing her brother, her home, and Lily came back to her. Jemma shushed her, trying her best to comfort her. After a minute, Jemma pulled away slightly, and looked the girl in her eyes.

“I heard about what happened. I want you to know, t-that I don’t…blame you,” Jemma said through her tears. And she meant it. “Before…before she left…for the um…she had a vision. And in the vision, she saw a girl…she saw_ you_. And s-she saw you get crushed by that building. She…was so distraught at seeing you die. S-she felt helpless…that she just stood by and watched someone so y-young and innocent die. And she feared for your future. But you know what I told her?” Wanda shook her head. Jemma forced a small laugh. “I told her that if she didn’t like the future she saw, then she should change it, that it was her _duty_ to change it. And you know what? I’m so glad she did.” Jemma caressed the girl’s face, wiping the tears that slipped down.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save her too,” Wanda whispered. Jemma took the girl into her arms once again.

“I’m just glad that she went doing something good. She saved you for a reason. I’m sure you did enough. It’s _not _your fault.”

And for the first time that day, Wanda Maximoff felt peace.


	8. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma helps Wanda through her grief and depression following the Battle of Sokovia.

About six months have gone by since Lily’s untimely death in Sokovia. The Avengers held together a private funeral/memorial service (Jemma wasn’t sure what to call it since her body couldn’t be covered from Sokovia) for only close friends and immediate family members, which was nice of them. During the span of those first few months without Lily, Jemma puttered around the empty apartment by herself. She couldn’t bear to pack up Lily’s things because whenever she did, the aching in her chest would return, sending Jemma into some kind of anxiety attack.

While Jemma knew and understood that Lily was dead, she still lived in denial, still hoping that one day she would hear the familiar sound of her key opening the door, see her familiar short black hair and gorgeous blue eyes and bright smile that made Jemma’s knees weak. She kept holding out for Lily’s return; the day that she would come back and scoop Jemma into her arms and tell her that everything that she endured the last few months as all just a bad dream. But that day would never come.

Jemma sat on the bed, a cardboard box sat on the floor in front of her, waiting to be filled with Lily’s clothes and other things that Jemma didn’t want to keep that would either be donated, put in storage, or simply thrown out. Next to Jemma on the bed sat every piece of clothing that Lily owned. That morning, Jemma awoke from another sleepless night and went into the closet and pulled everything out and dumped it on the bed. She had to do this sooner or later. She kept hearing Natasha’s words to her as she rifled through every article of clothing, trying to decide if she wanted to keep it or throw it in the box; “_Jemma, I know it hurts now, but the longer you wait the more it’ll hurt. It needs to be done; we have to move on, you have to move on.”_ She didn’t know how she could move on. It hadn’t even been that long. Lily had only been dead six months. Six months wasn’t enough time to get over something like that, especially not when someone lost their significant other who they loved more than life itself.

She mostly did this for Natasha’s sake and not her own. Through this time, the two women became closer, and the fear that Jemma had of the redhead melted as she got to know her. She knew that while Natasha was having a tough time progressing through the grief, Jemma was worse off, and Natasha hated seeing the younger woman hurting, so she thought clearing out her stuff would help. Maybe she was right.

The TV in the bedroom played loudly, a random sitcom tasked with drowning out Jemma’s thoughts. It was safe to say that it failed at its one job, since Jemma was hardly paying attention to what was happening in the show. She couldn’t even remember what show she was watching without looking up from the pile of clothes beside her. Jemma though back on how the vibe in the apartment used to be a whole lot different than what it is right now and had been for months. The air used to be happy and light and filled with love, but now…now it was heavy and depressing and Jemma always felt like she was drowning, suffocating in the stillness.

And Griffon, who also felt the change in atmosphere, suddenly found himself sniffing at Lily’s things and looking a tad bit sad, as if he understood that she was gone and never coming back. Instead of laying on Jemma’s side of the bed like he had become accustomed to, Jemma now found him curled up on Lily’s side, usually laying his head on her pillow, trying to collect her fading scent from the fabric. They had never been close, but Lily was a constant in his life for three years, and now she was suddenly gone, and because he was a cat, Griffon didn’t understand where she had gone and why Jemma was always so sad.

Jemma, having moved through the pile quickly, came across one of Lily’s shirts. It wasn’t particularly special in its design, but as Jemma gazed at the plainness of white blouse, she couldn’t help the sobs that wracked her body. She brought the shirt up to her face, inhaling the scent of Lily’s perfume. Jemma gasped as she tried to steady her breathing, but as she looked at the shirt she lost all control she had over her body. In addition to the tears, the shirt brought on a slideshow of memories that Jemma wasn’t ready to receive.

The white blouse was the last thing that Lily wore before she left for her mission. It was the shirt she wore on her and Jemma’s unknown last date. It was the shirt she had worn when Lily asked Jemma to marry her. It was the shirt she had worn on the day that the two showed up at the courthouse and officially tied the knot. It was the same shirt she had worn that same day when she and Jemma drove to Jemma’s parents’ house to break the news of their engagement, wedding, and Jemma’s coming out as gay.

Jemma was always afraid to tell her parents, especially her mother because she was super religious, and Jemma was afraid that they wouldn’t approve of their only daughter and child being gay, but they both had surprised the newly married couple by being over the moon, only being upset that they didn’t have a big wedding ceremony, and proceeded to cook them a feast to make up for it.

Griffon moved from his spot on Lily’s pillow and walked over to Jemma. He nudged her arm with his head and crawled onto her lap. Jemma took the shirt and carefully put it on, letting the soft fabric comfort her like a hug. She closed her eyes as she imagined Lily’s tall frame enveloping her in a hug. She felt the warmth of her arms as they circled her, but when she opened her eyes to look at Lily, she frowned when there was no one there. Jemma blinked the tears away and grabbed a tissue from the box next to her and wiped her face. She breathed in deeply, trying to compose herself before she took off the shirt and placed it in a separate pile on the bed; the pile of clothes she was keeping.

After spending half the morning going through Lily’s clothes, Jemma took the three full boxes marked with a “D” to the front door to be taken down to her car so she could drop them off at a shelter to be donated. There was only one box that was full of clothes that Jemma wanted to throw away; it consisted of stuff that was either stained or damaged and couldn’t be given to others. Jemma hated the idea of throwing Lily’s stuff out, because they were hers and to do with what she wanted and they meant something to her, but Lily wasn’t around to make that decision.

Huffing, Jemma made the three trips to her car to place the boxes in the backseat, and then getting in the driver’s seat and going to donate the clothes. She figured she might as well do it now if she wanted it to get done. The task had only taken maybe a half hour. She was lucky when she saw a church collection on her drive. She dropped the clothes off, and the nuns that were there hugged her and thanked her for her donation, told her that they would pray for her and that God was watching out for her. She had smiled at them and thanked them for their kind words, but as she got back in her car and drove back to her quiet apartment, she couldn’t help but scoff at them. _God’s not looking out for me. He’s laughing at me, and your prayers will amount to nothing._

Turning the key in the lock, Jemma opened the door and was met with the familiar face of Griffon who meowed happily upon seeing her.

“Hey, Griff,” she said as she walked in, petting the cat as she walked past. She walked into the kitchen and looked at the clock on the stove; 12:30pm. Walking over to the fridge and opened it sighing. She was hungry but knew that she didn’t have a lot of food. She had meant to go food shopping, but it was hard to get out of bed let alone out of the apartment. Not finding anything that piqued her fancy, she closed the fridge and opened a cupboard above the stove and took out a pack of chicken flavored Ramen. Placing the pack of noodles on the island, Jemma opened another cupboard and took out the bowl. Following the instructions, she made herself lunch and then ate in silence; the only sound coming from the TV.

Instead of the usual sitcoms that Jemma watched, she settled for the news. Over the past few months, Jemma had become detached from the rest of the world, and now she felt the need to pay attention to current events, no matter how depressing. A knock at the door took Jemma’s attention from her food and the current news story. She got off the loveseat and walked over to the front door, opening it without looking to see who it was. Her father always told her to look through the peephole first, but Jemma always brushed off his paranoia. She wasn’t surprised to see Natasha Romanoff standing at her door. Ever since the memorial service six months ago, Natasha made it her mission to not shut Jemma out.

“Hey, Nat,” she said with a smile on her face. She was always happy to see the beautiful redhead. She brought her into her arms in a friendly hug.

“Hey, Jemma,” the redhead greeted, giving her a small smile and pulling away. She wished Lily was here to see them becoming friends; it would’ve made her so happy. “Can I come in?” 

“Yeah, of course.” Jemma opened the door wider and stepped out of Natasha’s way as she walked into the apartment. “Make yourself at home. Do you want something to eat? Something to drink?”

“No, I’m fine,” she said, taking a seat at one of the stools by the island. “How are you doing, Jemma?” Jemma sighed, not knowing how to answer her. She wasn’t fine, but she was obviously better than she was a few months ago. She would never be fine; she would always hurt and she would always cry, but she didn’t want to say that.

“I’m…I’m doing better,” she settled. Natasha nodded her head in understanding. “I decided to take your advice and start clearing her stuff out.” She sat on the stool to Natasha’s left and stared at the fridge.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I started with her clothes. Thought maybe that you were right…that it was time to start moving on—”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Jemma,” the redhead cut her off, feeling guilty. “I only meant that you shouldn’t be locking yourself up here all day, staying in bed and not taking care of yourself. I didn’t mean that you should rush through your grief.”

“I did better than I thought I would, though.” There was pride in Jemma’s voice as she looked at Natasha. “I only cried once, and it was when I found the shirt that she had worn the night that she left. That day was our last date night.”

Natasha frowned at Jemma’s sad words. Ever since that day, Natasha always felt a little guilty for bringing Lily into the fight. _If I hadn’t called her in, then she would still be here, laughing and lying with Jemma on the couch. _Jemma looked at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. She knew that Nat blamed her herself.

“It’s not your fault, you know. She chose to go. None of us could’ve changed her mind, you know that.”

“Yeah I know.”

“So, what brings you here? I doubt it’s because you wanted to check up on me, not that I’m not happy you stopped by…” Jemma asked effectively changing the subject. She had gotten up from her stool and walked over to the fridge and got herself a water bottle.

“I need your help.” This caused Jemma to stop and turn to the ex-assassin.

“Help with what?”

“It’s Wanda. Ever since…everything happened, she’s locked herself in her room. At first, I thought it was fine, but it’s been six months…and well, Jemma, I’m worried about her.” Jemma remembered the girl and felt bad for her; she heard that she had lost her brother in Sokovia. “We barely see her around the compound, and when we do, it’s only for a brief moment before she disappears into her room. She barely eats; she doesn’t come sit with us at meals, and when we bring food to her room, it’s left mostly untouched. She doesn’t talk to anyone, not even to Vision. I try to get her to talk but she just ignores me.” 

“Maybe she just needs some time…”

“I hear her screaming at night, Jemma. I know she gets nightmares, and I can’t help her because she keeps the fucking door locked.” Natasha slammed her fist against the granite counter, feeling the tears come to her eyes at the thought of the girl in pain. Whatever anger and resentment and blame that Natasha had for the young Maximoff girl had faded away within the past few months and was replaced with fondness and worry. 

“What do you want me to do?” Jemma wasn’t much better; there were times when she didn’t leave her room and would shut out all responsibilities, would barely eat for days at a time, and would get horrific nightmares that often left her screaming and staying awake for the remainder of the night. Natasha looked at her with hope and sadness in her eyes.

“I don’t know, talk to her, maybe? Maybe you could help her get through this.”

“What makes me different from you and anyone else who tried to talk to her?”

“Maybe since you two have the same experience, she’ll let you in? I don’t know, Jemma, but please, can you try? I’m really worried about her. I don’t know what she’s doing in her room and I don’t want her to get hurt.” Natasha’s eyes held a look that Jemma never saw before; fear. She saw fear as the woman before her pleaded for help. Jemma melted under her gaze, knowing that she could never allow that girl to continue to hurt like this.

“Okay, just give me a few minutes to get changed, and I’ll go talk to her now.” Natasha smiled at her, relieved.

“Thank you, Jemma.”

“It’s no problem.”

○○○

Jemma had returned a few minutes later looking slightly more presentable than she had been, and before the two women left the apartment, Jemma bent down to Griffon’s food bowl and placed a little bit of food in it, just in case she was out late. Making sure that she had her phone, wallet and keys, both women stepped out of the apartment and made their way to the compound.

The drive to the compound took a little over an hour since traffic wasn’t so bad, surprisingly. Jemma forgot that the Avengers moved to a new facility upstate and weren’t in the tower anymore. She missed seeing it light up the sky at night.

“So, what’s gonna happen to the tower back in the city?” Jemma asked as she looked at Natasha who was driving. She shrugged her shoulders before giving her a little laugh.

“I’m not sure, I think Tony might’ve sold it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he kept it all for himself.” Jemma laughed too at Tony’s childish nature. Over the past few months, Jemma had gotten to know the Avengers better and started forming bonds with them, even though they didn’t hang out much, they still talked and every once in a while one of them would check up on Jemma, either with a comforting phone call or would come in person and spend the day with her.

Steve was usually the one to come in person, often bringing homemade meals to make sure she was eating right. Tony would always call, but he would also send her flowers, a personalized card, and a bottle of Scotch, which she was always thankful for. Thor came in person too, whenever he was on earth, mostly because he didn’t understand how to work a phone. Clint and Natasha were over the most since she was more familiar with them. She was glad to have finally met Clint and found it funny when he asked if the story of her and Lily’s first date was true and how he laughed when she confirmed it.

She was glad that she would be seeing all of them again. She was a little sad when she heard that Thor had gone back to Asgard; she was hoping that she could see him again and maybe share a drink with him. She had heard about Sam from Steve, but had yet to meet him, so she was excited, and if she was honest, she wanted to meet Vision. She knew about him and what he was, but a part of her had always been too scared to meet the android, but now she was ready.

“It kinda sucks that Clint retired. It feels kinda lonely without him, but don’t tell him I said that,” Natasha said causing Jemma to laugh harder.

“I won’t, I promise.” They soon pulled up to the compound. It was much bigger than the tower and provided the heroes with more space to train and whatnot. Natasha led Jemma through the different floors until they got to the living quarters. As they got off the elevator, Jemma was met with a large seating area and bar/kitchen area that reminded Jemma of the one room she was in at the tower.

Most of the team was gathered in the room, sitting and laughing with each other. Two men sat on one of the couches staring intently at the TV in front of them, action music and explosions rang loudly through the speakers as the two played the game. Steve stood by the bar and shook his head at the two, while smiling. Steve’s smile grew larger when he saw Natasha and Jemma enter the room. He walked towards them and opened his arms to Jemma, asking for a hug. She smiled at seeing his goofy one and accepted his hug, giving him one in return. He chuckled lightly as he had to bend down a little to wrap his arms around her because she was so short. Jemma laughed also and patted his back. It was good to see him. She never told anyone in fear of hurting feelings, but Steve was always her favorite.

“It’s good to see you, Jemma.” He said releasing her and sending her a sincere smile. Even though he visited her often, he missed her.

“It’s good to see you, too, Steve.” Steve brought her into the room more, clearing his throat in the process.

“Hey guys, pause the game. We have a visitor.” The two men who were sitting on the couch stopped their game, turned the TV off and made their way over to Steve and Jemma. “Jemma, this is Colonel James Rhodes of the United States air force.” Steve gestured to the man on the left. Jemma had recognized the man, mostly from the news. 

“But, you can call me Rhodey.” He held out his hand to shake and Jemma gladly took it, smiling warmly at him. Then Steve gestured to the younger man that stood next to Rhodey and in front of Steve.

“And this is Sam Wilson.” Sam smiled smugly at Steve before holding out his hand to Jemma also.

“I’m also his best friend, but there’s no way that he’ll ever admit that. It’s nice to finally meet you. Steve told me a lot about you.”

“He told me a lot about you, too. And it’s nice to meet you too, both of you.”

“Not that it isn’t nice to see you,” Steve started. “What brings you here today? Did you miss us?” Jemma laughed a little at his joke while Sam and Rhodey just shook their heads at his lame joke.

“Actually, I’m here to see Wanda. Nat told she hasn’t been doing too well.” The atmosphere in the room shifted and became heavy at the mention of Wanda. Jemma could tell that the Avengers were worried about the poor girl, Steve especially.

“She’s been locked up in her room, won’t come out for anyone,” Sam said, his smug face turned serious.

“She’s not eating as much as she should,” Rhodey said looking at a wall, not wanting to look at anyone. He wasn’t incredibly close with the girl, but he felt sorry for her.

“She…she won’t talk to me,” Steve said in a sad voice. He blamed himself for her pain, and he was upset that he couldn’t help her. He looked down at his shoes and sighed. Sam placed a hand on his shoulder, comforting his friend. “I know she’s hurting, more than all of us, but I wish she felt like she could open up to us.”

Jemma nodded in understanding. If it weren’t for the fact that the Avengers were always trying to reach out to Jemma, she probably would’ve shut everyone out too. She sighed, readying herself to talk to the girl.

“Can you show me to her room?”


	9. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma and Wanda talk for the first time in months. Wanda creates a bond with Jemma.

Steve led Jemma out of the common room and down the hallway past the elevator that she just stepped foot out of. Steve explained the layout of the compound; the fourth floor (the floor they were on now) was the living quarters and had the common room and each person’s bedroom, the third floor functioned as both training floor where the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents went to do hand-to-hand combat training and as a small headquarters for S.H.I.E.L.D., the second floor had all different types of labs, and the first floor was more training rooms that served as shooting galleries and gyms.

Steve and Jemma stopped in front of the second to last door at the end of the hall. The door was painted white and was plain, the only attempt at a decoration was the five black letters that spelled out “WANDA” that were stuck to the door. Steve took a step towards the door, leaned his head against it, and gave a gentle knock hoping he didn’t startle her.

“Wanda? It’s, uh, Steve. I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he paused a second, waiting, hoping for a response from the brunette. He cleared his throat and spoke again. “Anyway…Jemma’s here. She wanted to see how you were doing. Maybe you two could talk?” Steve sighed when he again didn’t get a response. Jemma placed her hand on his arm and gave him a sad smile.

“Let me try,” she whispered to him. He stepped out of the way, giving her access to the door and she knocked too, a little louder than Steve. “Hey Wanda, it’s me, Jemma. I don’t know if you remember me. You probably don’t since we haven’t seen each other in a few months. I was hoping we could talk…you know, catch up and all that.” After a minute of silence, Jemma heard a light _click_. She cautiously reached for the doorknob and turned it, finding it unlocked. Jemma entered the room slowly, not knowing what she was about to walk into. Steve nodded to himself and left them alone, walking back down the hall. _She’ll talk to me when she’s ready_.

Wanda laid on her bed, face down in the many pillows that surrounded her. Her long brown hair was tied up in a messy bun and looked greasy, her face and eyes were red and puffy and she had dark circles forming under her eyes. She was dressed in a black jacket with white arrows running up the arms that seemed too big for her and grey sweatpants. The lights in the room were off, the only source of light coming from outside, but she had the blinds closed, leaving the room dark. Wadded tissues and an empty tissue box littered the floor, having been thrown around carelessly. Wanda’s body laid still in her bed, still not speaking, but every couple seconds, she would inhale sharply. Jemma’s heart broke as she looked at the young girl before her. She slowly walked over to the side of her bed and knelt in front of her face, trying to get her to look at her.

“Oh, Wanda,” she said softly as she tucked a strand of her hair that fell out of the bun behind her ear. The girl shifted her eyes to look at Jemma and they started to water again. Jemma ran her thumb across the girl’s cheek, catching any fallen tears. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay, honey, it’s okay.”

“Why are you here?” Wanda asked her in a raw voice that cracked and wavered after each word. She hadn’t spoken to anyone in months, no wonder she sounded like this. Jemma saw a glass sitting on the little table beside her. She picked it up, took it into the jointed bathroom and filled it with water, then she walked back over to Wanda and handed it to her. The girl took the glass and chugged the water, looking at Jemma with thanks. When she was finished, she placed the glass back on the table.

“I just wanted to talk to you, see how you were doing. Everyone’s really worried about you; especially Nat.” Wanda looked down; she didn’t believe that they were worried about her.

“They’re not worried about me. They don’t care about me. They just want to make sure I won’t blow up the building.” Wanda’s Sokovian accent came through as she spoke.

“They _do _care. Steve’s all upset that you won’t talk to him. Sam and Rhodey too. And Natasha, Natasha came all the way into the city to beg me to come here to talk to you because she figured that you would talk to me. She’s the most worried of all.” Wanda scoffed. “I don’t know everything that you’ve been through, and you don’t have to tell me, but Wanda, you need to learn to accept when people want to help you. You need to learn to let people in. Everyone can always use help.”

Wanda froze at her words. She thought of Lily, she thought of the battle when she said that to her in the church after refusing to leave her side. She thought of her dying in her arms. Scrambling in bed, Wanda sat up suddenly, letting out a scream as her hands flew up and covered her face and ears. Her eyes were closed tight but tears still leaked out. Jemma ran around to the other side of the bed and jumped on, taking the girl in her arms. She rested her chin on top of her head, ran her hand up and down her back, and rocked her back and forth.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, shhh.” Jemma wasn’t sure what to do to help her, but she would stay as long as she needed. “What’s wrong, Wanda? Talk to me, let me in.”

“I…I can see her. She said those same words to me before…before…” Jemma heard her struggle and didn’t make her finish; she understood what she meant.

“It’s okay,” she whispered as she gently lifted the girl from the soft mattress and into her lap. “It’s okay, Wanda. Everything’s gonna be okay, I promise you. It’ll get better.”

“I see him too; he comes to me in my dreams. He calls out to me, asks me to come with him, and when I do, I see the bullets, and he bleeds out in my arms. I couldn’t save them,” Wanda sobbed into Jemma’s chest. Jemma understood who she was talking about; her twin brother Pietro. She knew the story, thanks to Clint, how the boy saved his life by sacrificing his own. It sounded much like Lily’s story; a selfless act for a stranger.

A red mist floated harmlessly through the air. The beauty of it amazed Jemma who hadn’t seen Wanda’s powers before, but she turned her attention back to the broken girl. She reached up and undid the messy bun, allowing Wanda’s brown curls to flow down against her back. She allowed her fingers to run through her hair, undoing any tangles that they ran into on their way down. Wanda’s sobs softened to quiet whimpering.

“Wanda, look at me,” the girl lifted her head and looked at Jemma. “It is not your fault that Pietro and Lily died. They chose to do a selfless act that benefitted others instead of themselves. They died heroes, and we cannot take that away from them. I know you feel guilty, believe me, I feel the same way, but listen to me Wanda, you need to know and believe that you are not at fault for what happened. I need you to fully understand that. You may be an enhanced person with capabilities that no ordinary person possesses, but you are still one person, Wanda. You are one person and you shouldn’t have to feel like you have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.” 

Wanda stared at Jemma, processing her words. She felt grateful that Jemma came to talk to her. She really needed her, and Jemma, though she didn’t know it, needed Wanda.

“What do I do now?” she asked, her green eyes red and bloodshot. Jemma let out a little chuckle.

“First, we’re going to go into the bathroom and clean you up, then, if you want, we can go out and sit with the team. But if you don’t I’ll stay here with you for as long as you want me to.” Wanda nodded her head, and she and Jemma got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. Jemma got the washcloth that sat hung up on the wall by the sink, wet it with cold water, and started to wipe Wanda’s face, hoping to clear away the redness and make the puffiness in her eyes go down. She then instructed her to take a quick shower to wash her hair, saying that it would help her feel better.

Jemma walked around Wanda’s room picking up the used tissues and placed them in the trash. She spent the time that Wanda was in the shower fixing up her room, trying to refresh it. She made her bed and opened her curtains and windows to let in some more natural light and fresh air. After about fifteen minutes, Wanda stepped out of the shower and timidly walked into her room to grab some fresh clothes, before once again entering the bathroom. Wanda _did _feel better after taking a shower and felt even better after having talked with Jemma. Wanda changed into a clean red short-sleeve t-shirt and black shorts. Walking back into her room, she tied her long damp hair into a ponytail, and slipped on the large sweatshirt she had on earlier.

“Don’t you want to put on a clean jacket?” Jemma asked as she held out a different sweatshirt for Wanda to put on, but the young girl shook her head.

“No, this…this was my brother’s. It’s all I have left of him, and I want to keep him close.” Jemma gave the girl a soft smile and put the hoodie that she held back in its drawer.

“Now, what do you want to do?”

“I…I want to go and be with everyone, but,” Wanda tugged on the sleeves of her jacket, trying to hide. “But what if they don’t want me there?” 

“They _definitely _want you there. You’re a part of their family now, and I can promise you, that when they see you, they will be _so _happy.” Wanda smiled at the thought and before she could stop herself, she ran forward and threw her arms around Jemma engulfing her in a big hug, burying her face into her long auburn hair.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. “For everything.” Jemma smiled brightly. She was unbelievably happy that she could help the girl. Before they pulled away, Jemma remembered some of the things that Wanda was doing to herself.

“Before we go, I need you to promise me one thing,” she said, trying to approach the subject gently.

“Anything.”

“Promise me that you’ll try to eat more? Nat and Rhodey told me that you barely eat whenever they bring you food. You need to eat, Wanda.” Wanda was silent for a moment, and at first Jemma thought maybe she had crossed a line, trying to tell the girl what to do, but she relaxed when Wanda agreed to her demand. Jemma smiled, released the girl, and planted a soft kiss on her forehead before leading the two of them out of the room.

It felt weird for Wanda to be outside of her room. She hardly ever set foot out of it in the past few months, and when she did, it was only for a little while to grab something and then she went right back. She felt anxious as she and Jemma walked down the hall back to the common room. She could hear the sounds of Sam and Rhodey’s yelling at what she could only guess was that stupid game they were playing. As they got closer, she could hear faintly hear the conversation happening between Natasha and Steve, but she wasn’t paying enough attention to hear the exact words. Wanda felt her pace slow to a stop the closer they got. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. _Maybe it’s because I avoided them every day for six months. It’s a miracle they even remembered that I still lived there._ Jemma noticed her hesitation and stopped beside her.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” 

“What…what if they’re mad at me? For avoiding them?”

“I’m sure they’re not mad. When I last saw them, they were just really concerned and worried. I’m sure everything will be fine. Do you want me to go ahead and kind of soften the blow?” Wanda nodded her head and stood in her place while Jemma walked on ahead into the common room.

Steve was immediately up and walking over to Jemma when he saw her come back in. He couldn’t help the sad look that appeared on his face when he saw that she was alone.

“How is she?” he asked quickly, not wanting to wait for an answer. Jemma held up a hand, telling Steve to calm down.

“She’s okay now. I got her to talk, take a shower and to come out of her room. She’s a little fragile right now, so I need you to calm down. We don’t want to over excite her. Okay?” Steve nodded his head in understanding. She saw Natasha give her a curt nod from the bar before she turned to walk back out to grab Wanda.

Wanda’s hands trembled slightly with each step she took towards the common room. Jemma grabbed her hand and held it tightly, effectively stopping it from shaking before giving her an encouraging smile. Walking into that common room was the hardest thing that Wanda had done in a long time. When she and Jemma entered the room, all conversations stopped. Sam and Rhodey paused the game they were playing and looked over at her, and Steve was standing next to Natasha over by the bar staring at her with concern. Wanda walked over to Steve until she was directly in front of him, leaving Jemma by Sam and Rhodey. She sighed deeply as she brought herself to look into Steve’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed out quietly. She wasn’t even sure if he heard her, but her thoughts were settled when he reached out and lightly pulled her into a hug, his big arms circling around her small body. He leaned his head down on her freshly washed and damp hair and placed a gentle kiss. He sniffled quietly, trying to mask his crying; he had been really worried about her.

“It’s okay. You have nothing to be sorry about.” Wanda smiled into his chest, happy that he didn’t hate her for what she had done.

After a minute, Natasha stood up from the bar and walked over, joining the hug. She too placed a kiss on Wanda’s head as tears of her own came to her eyes. Before long, both Sam and Rhodey also joined in the group hug. Sam tried to lighten the mood by making jokes about Natasha being affectionate, which earned his a sharp stabbing pain of her elbow in his side, causing everyone including Wanda to laugh at Sam’s misfortune. Natasha was the only one that noticed that Jemma hadn’t joined the hug. She felt like she shouldn’t, that she would intrude on a special moment between the Avengers, but those thoughts left her mind when Natasha looked over at her and said, “Get in here, Barnes.” Jemma smiled as she joined the hug.


	10. Moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year later, Wanda moved in with Jemma and she prepares to go on her first big mission as an Avenger which goes horribly wrong.

_The sun was shining through the apartment like any other day. The usual sound of the TV comedy’s fake audience laughter filled the air, mixing with the real ones of its inhabitants. The familiar smell of Lily’s cooking drifted through the apartment. Jemma got up from her spot on the couch and walked over to stand behind Lily who was standing in front of the stove, stirring an unknown meal in a pot. Jemma wrapped her arms around Lily’s waist and laid her head in the middle of her back, inhaling her fruity scented lotion. She closed her eyes at the blissful sound of Lily’s laugh._

_“You know, it’s hard to focus on dinner when you’re being this adorable.”_

_“I’ve missed this,” Jemma said, her voice full of longing and sadness. Lily turned her head slightly, trying to look at her wife, and sighed in understanding._

_“Yeah, I know.” The two fell into silence; neither one was sure if it was uncomfortable, but they didn’t know what to say. Lily stopped stirring the pot, and turned around in Jemma’s arms, now facing Jemma. She took the younger woman’s face into her hands and place a gentle kiss on her lips and forehead. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”_

_“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re happy. You are happy, right?” Jemma asked, scared that her Lily was spending eternity in pain. But all Lily did was smile. _

_“Yeah, Jemma Bean. I’m happy.”_

_“Good.” Jemma rested her head on Lily’s chest. Lily laughed, the familiar vibrations ringing through Jemma’s body. Suddenly, Lily bent down and lifted Jemma up and sat her down on the edge of the granite countertop of the island. Wrapping her arms around Jemma, Lily brought herself closer to her wife and gave her a loving and passionate kiss. Pulling away, both women were left breathless and smiling. _

_“I can’t tell you how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” Lily whispered as she tucked a small piece of hair behind her ear then proceeding to do the same with Jemma. Lily’s light skin glowed and shimmered in the light of the evening sun. Jemma smiled, but she refused to look into Lily’s eyes. “Why won’t you look at me, love?”_

_“I’m afraid.” Jemma’s voice trembled as she felt the tears form. She didn’t want to cry; not now._

_“Why, love?” Finally daring herself to look, Jemma lifted her eyes to Lily’s face. Jemma’s teary eyes met Lily’s also filled with tears._

_“I’m afraid because I know this isn’t real; that you’re not really here or that I’m not really here. I’m afraid because I don’t want to sucked back to a place where you no longer exist. Having you not in my life fucking hurts, and it hurts even more when I’m reminded of that. I can’t live without you; I don’t want to live without you. Every time I close my eyes, I see you. I see you happy and laughing and messing with Griffon, but I also see you getting crushed by that building…and I can’t fucking sleep. Because no matter what I see, it haunts me—you haunt me, Lily. I…I don’t want to be here anymore. It hurts too much.” Jemma couldn’t hold her sobs. She gasped and coughed as her breathing sped up. _

_“Shhh…hey, hey, calm down. Calm down, love, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Lily’s hands flew up to Jemma’s face and she started wiping away her tears. “It’ll get better, Jemma. I promise you. One day, when you think of me, you’ll be able to smile and it won’t hurt as much.” _

_“Why couldn’t you take me with you?” _

_“You know why you can’t come with me Jemma. It’s not your time, besides, you’re needed here, Jemma.” Lily chuckled, but deep down she felt bad. She knew that Jemma was in a lot of pain, and there was nothing she could do about it._

_“Who needs me? No one needs me, Lily. What can I offer anyone? You’re the hero, at least you were. Me, I’m a nobody. I’m not special; I don’t have superpowers. I can’t offer anything to anyone.”_

_“You offered me love. That’s your superpower, Jemma. You have a great capability to love. You love strongly, deeply and passionately. You are a very compassionate person, and that’s what the world needs right now; someone who is compassionate. And even on a smaller scale, who needs you? The Avengers need you; your parents need you; Wanda needs you. So many people rely and depend on you, and no matter how much it hurts, you have to press on, if not for you or me, for them.” Jemma didn’t respond; she knew that Lily was right but knowing that she had to stay and actually staying were two different things, and it was definitely easier said than done. Lily sighed and embraced Jemma again. The tears in her eyes finally spilled over as she realized their time together was up. _

_“I love you, so much Jemma Bean. Never forget that, okay?”_

_“I won’t. I love you too. You won’t forget me, right?” _

_“I’ll always be with you, Jemma Bean. You are my greatest joy. Thank you, for being the light in my life.” Lily gave Jemma one more kiss as the sunlight in the room grew brighter, blinding Jemma. “Goodbye, Jemma.”_

○○○

Jemma woke with a start, bright morning light streaming in her bedroom window. Leaning over her, was the familiar green eyes of Wanda looking at her with concern.

“Are you alright?” Jemma sat up and rubbed her eyes and let out a little yawn. Getting out of the bed, she stretched and made her way to the door, walking to the kitchen. She turned on the black Keurig machine and placed a coffee cup into it. She then grabbed a mug from one of the cupboards and placed it under the dispenser. As the cup filled with coffee, Jemma turned towards the doorway, seeing Wanda standing there, still waiting for an answer.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said as she grabbed the milk to put into her coffee, not looking at Wanda again. Wanda still stood in the doorway, watching Jemma curiously and raised an eyebrow at her statement.

“I could hear you crying from my room,” she said with her thick Sokovian accent. “I thought you said that we should be honest about how we feel.” Jemma froze slightly as she recalled saying that to Wanda whenever she got nightmares.

“I…just had a dream. I saw Lily, alive, at least I think she was alive. I don’t know, but I saw her and talked to her…and I guess I just wasn’t prepared for it.” Jemma took a sip of her coffee. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

Wanda sent her a sympathetic smile as she crossed the room to stand next to her roommate.

“It is alright. I read that dreams like that are supposed to mean that you are moving on.” Wanda placed a pale hand on Jemma’s. Jemma was grateful that the girl was here with her. The stillness of living alone unnerved Jemma and she couldn’t take it anymore, and she was lucky when the Avengers decided that Wanda living in the compound wasn’t a good idea since after Jemma left after her visit, Wanda slowly sank back into her depression, and they once again had to call Jemma to come back over. They didn’t fully understand why Jemma was the only one to snap Wanda out of her depression and back into reality, but they did understand that she would be much better off living with the widow, who in turn, needed her too. Together the two grieving women helped each other through their grief.

It had been approximately a year since Ultron’s attack on Sokovia and the deaths of Lily and Pietro, and while they had their moments, Wanda and Jemma were getting better. For the first time in a long time, both women were starting to become happy. Wanda started becoming more confident in herself and her powers and Jemma started to listen to her own advice that she gave Wanda and stopped shutting people out. Ever since Wanda moved into Jemma’s guest room, the air in the apartment was once again light and happy; like it was before Ultron. Laughter filled the apartment once more as the two women joked around and watched cheesy comedies and romantic comedies. Jemma never said it, but she was entirely grateful for Wanda’s presence.

Wanda, having at first found herself not wanting to leave the Avengers compound and was slightly angry with them for sending her away, was now grateful that Jemma took her in. She identified more to the woman than she did with the Avengers, though she still considered them family. Wanda found it easier to confide in Jemma when things bothered her or when she was caught up in a nightmare. Jemma was already there, dropping everything she was doing, ready to listen to her, unlike the Avengers, who sincerely wanted to help her, but couldn’t just ignore the world.

Wanda took comfort in the fact that Jemma was going through a similar type of grief as her. She had people in her life like Steve who have his best friend, but to Wanda, it didn’t feel the same, not that she wanted to downplay his grief. Steve lost Bucky back in 1945. He had spent 71 years without him. Wanda lost her brother only a year ago, which is clearly less time, so she listened to his advice, but it hit her differently than when she listened to Jemma.

“Do you have training today?” Jemma’s tired voice shook the girl from her thoughts. Jemma was now sitting at the island eating a bowl of cereal; the milk and a boxes of Frosted Flakes and Cheerios sat on the smooth granite counter. Jemma couldn’t resist the sugary taste of Frosted Flakes, but through their time together, she learned that Wanda was more of a fan of the classic Cheerios. Wanda grabbed herself a bowl and spoon, then poured herself a bowl of cereal and ate her breakfast.

“No, today Steve said that we have a mission.” Her voice held the mix of a Sokovian and an American accent. At first Jemma was confused at what was happening with her voice, but she quickly learned that part of her training (done by Natasha) was learning how to blend in; hence the accent. It needed work, since the Eastern European accent of Sokovia still stuck out, but Wanda was practicing. Jemma was always interested in her training and her missions, mostly out of fear, but also out of pride. She was proud of the progress that Wanda made both in her confidence and in her training. She was skilled with her powers and had the potential to be a skilled fighter in hand-to-hand combat, though she still got scared and used her powers.

“Where are you going?” she asked, looking up from her cereal and looking at Wanda who was sitting next to her.

“Steve said Lagos, Nigeria,” Wanda said taking a bite. “He got a lead on Rumlow.” Jemma nodded. She had heard of him from Steve, but if she was honest, forgot most of the story. She knew he was bad news though.

“When do you leave? How are you getting to the compound? Do you need a ride or are they picking you up on the way?” 

“Jemma, relax,” Wanda said stopping the woman’s ramblings while laughing. “Steve said they’ll pack my stuff and pick me up on the way. They’ll be here in a little bit.”

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, Jemma. I’m ready, I’ll be safe, and I’ll call when I’m done.” While Jemma was proud of Wanda and the progress she made, Jemma didn’t think she should be going on serious missions. She worried a lot about her when she left, much like how she worried about Lily, except this time it was much worse because she now knows what that pain feels like.

“I know you get upset that I treat you like a kid,” Jemma started, feeling the tears come. “It’s…it’s just that…I care about you Wanda. I care about you very much, and…I-I can’t lose you too.” Wanda hugged the woman to her tightly. She did get slightly annoyed with Jemma always treating her like a child, but understood where the caution and fear came from, and always tried not to make her annoyance known, but deep down appreciated the sentiment.

“I know, Jemma.” The two women pulled away and Jemma wiped her tears. They finished their breakfast in comfortable silence. About twenty minutes later, Wanda got a text from Steve telling her that they arrived, and she gave Jemma one more hug before leaving.

“Remember to call. Oh, and don’t forget your gloves!” 

“I won’t,” Wanda said as she pulled out of the hug and started for the front door. “I’ll call as soon as I’m done, I promise. Bye, don’t wait up.” And she was gone.

“Please be safe,” Jemma said after Wanda closed the door on her way out.

○○○

Wanda sat alone at a table. She fiddled with the cup in front of her, adding sugar and stirring it. Natasha sat near her, but at a different table, also alone. A lot of people were gathered in area where the team was stationed. Steve stood alone in a building a little way away from them, and Sam stood waiting on a roof. They all surveyed the area, trying to identify the location of the trouble that Rumlow wanted to cause. Across the street from the café that Wanda and Natasha were stationed at were a couple of local police officers who looked to be enjoying a break. Steve’s voice came over the comms quietly.

_“All right, what do you see?” _he asked talking to Wanda, using this as a quiz to test everything she had learned. Wanda looked over her shoulder slightly, looking at the officers.

“Standard beat cops. Small station. Quiet street. It’s a good target.” She took a sip of her hot drink.

_“There’s and ATM in the south corner, which means…”_

“Cameras,” Wanda answered, as she observed the scene and worked out the problems in her head. Steve kept testing her.

_“Both cross streets are one way.” _

“So, compromised escape routes.”

_“Means our guy doesn’t care about being seen, he isn’t afraid to make a mess on the way out. You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?” _

“Yeah, the red one? It’s cute,” Wanda said jokingly as she took another sip. Natasha eyed her from her table.

_“It’s also bulletproof, which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us,” _Natasha said into the comms. Wanda put her cup down and raised an eyebrow.

“You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?” she asked somewhat seriously.

_“Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature,”_ Natasha said, starting to lecture.

_“Anybody ever tell you you’re a little paranoid?” _Sam joked into the comms, joining the conversation.

_“Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?” _Natasha joked back.

_“Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we’ve had on Rumlow in six months. I don’t want to lose him,” _Steve said, trying to bring his team back to the task at hand. Everyone once again paid attention to their surroundings.

_“If he sees us coming that won’t be a problem. He kind of hates us,” _Sam said as he noticed a garbage truck moving through the traffic. It was bumping into other cars and not showing any regard for pedestrians; it was highly suspicious.

_“Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it_._” _Sam listened to Steve’s order and released a small drone from his jetpack. The drone, which Sam had affectionately named Redwing, flew down from the roof to the garbage truck.

_“Give me X-ray,”_ Sam commanded Redwing. He analyzed the data and reported it to Steve and the team. _“That truck’s loaded for max weight. And the driver’s armed.”_ The team thought this over, but the answer came to Natasha first.

_“It’s a battering ram,” _she said with realization.

_“Go now,” _said Steve, ushering the team to mobilize against the truck. Natasha got up from her table and ran, leaving Wanda confused.

“What?”

_“He’s not hitting the police,”_ Steve said as he was in pursuit. Wanda too left her table and began to follow after the truck.


	11. An Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission in Lagos, Nigeria goes wrong.

The team soon converged at the scene: the Institute for Infectious Diseases. The truck sped through the guarded entrance and flipped over, hitting the archway. Smaller yellow trucks raced through the rubble into the courtyard of the building. Armed soldiers dressed in black armor jumped from the trucks, fired their weapons into the courtyard and shot gas canisters into the institute. Some soldiers wearing gas masks entered the building. Steve is the first to arrive on the scene, taking out several of the armed soldiers.

“Body armor, AR15s. I make seven hostiles.” Sam arrived soon after, flying up onto a roof and using his wings to block the heavy gunfire before taking out the soldiers near him.

“I make five.” Wanda is the next to arrive. Using her powers to fly, she landed in the courtyard and blocked the incoming bullets with a red shield. Manipulating her magic, Wanda wrapped the red mist around one of the soldiers, taking control of him, and lifted his body up into the air towards Sam.

“Sam,” she called to him, alerting him of the delivery. Sam flew down from his perch and took out the soldier.

“Four,” he said as he sends Redwing out to scan the inside of the building. “Rumlow’s on the third floor.” Steve nodded at Sam and looked at Wanda.

“Wanda, just like we practiced.”

“What about the gas?”

“Get it out,” Steve said as he got into position. Wanda wrapped her magic around the super soldier and lifted him up to the one of the windows on the third floor. Once he was inside, she began waving her hands, pulling the gas through the windows and out of the building. The gas rose higher in the air, building a column as Wanda’s magic pushed it into the air before it disappeared. Minutes later, Steve’s voice came back over the comms saying, _“Rumlow has a biological weapon.”_

_“I’m on it,”_ Natasha’s voice spoke through the comms.

_“Sam. He’s in an AFV heading north,”_ Steve said. Sam flew from the courtyard, heading in the direction of Rumlow and the weapon. Catching up to them quick, Sam spotted four mercenaries splitting up. He sighed to himself.

“I got four, they’re splitting up.”

_“I got the two on the left,” _Natasha said, following the two that turned left. Through process of elimination, Sam followed the ones that went to the right.

_“They ditched their gear. It’s a shell game now. One of them has the payload,” _Steve said as he stood in the middle of a marketplace. Sam quickly took out the men that he chased, and looking through their bag, he huffed loudly.

“He doesn’t have it. I’m empty.”

Natasha, following her men, tackled one of them and engaged in combat. When the other soldier arrived, Natasha hurled a basket at him to distract him. She then used her skills to fight them and ended up face-to-face with one soldier. They pointed their guns at each other. A moment passes, then, the other soldier produces the vial.

“Drop it. Or I drop this. Drop it!” the one mercenary yelled.

“He’ll do it!” fired the other one. Before Natasha can follow the demands of the two men, Redwing descended and fired at the soldier holding the vial, dropping it. Natasha quickly reacted, shooting the other soldier and catching the vial before it hits the ground.

“Payload secure. Thanks, Sam,” she said, standing back up and looking at Redwing.

_“Don’t thank me,”_ Sam’s smug voice said in the comms.

“I’m…not thanking that thing.” 

_“His name is Redwing.”_

“I’m still not thanking it.”

_“He’s cute. Go ahead, pet him.”_

Meanwhile, Steve engaged Rumlow in combat.

“Come on!” Rumlow yelled in frustration. He pinned Steve to a building and held up one of his gauntlets, revealing a blade. “This is for dropping a building on my face.” Steve grabbed the gauntlet and removed it and knocked Rumlow to his knees. Rumlow removed his mask, revealing his scarred face and looked up at Steve. He chuckled dryly. “I think I look pretty good, all things considered.”

“Who’s your buyer?” Steve asked.

“You know, he knew you. Your pal, your buddy, your _Bucky_.” Rumlow spat his name. Steve froze in front of him, his eyes going wide.

“What did you say,” he whispered in shock.

“He remembered you. I was there. He got all weepy about it. Till they put his brain back in the blender. He wanted you to know something. He said to me, ‘Please tell Rogers. When you gotta go, you gotta go.’ And you’re coming with me.” Steve flinched and closed his eyes as Rumlow activated the bomb strapped to his vest, preparing himself for the fiery explosion, but opened them when he didn’t feel any pain. He looked back at Rumlow and saw the fire surrounded Rumlow’s body, wrapped tightly in a red mist. Rumlow screamed in agony as the flames ate at him. Steve looked to his left and saw Wanda struggling to contain the blast. Lifting Rumlow into the air, Wanda’s grip in the explosion slipped and she lost control, causing the blast to bloom, consuming a couple floors of a nearby building. Both Wanda and Steve gasped and looked on in horror.

“Oh my…,” Steve lost all words. “Sam…We need…Fire and Rescue…on the south side of the building.” He took off towards the building, hoping to find survivors. “We gotta get up there.” Wanda didn’t move; she sunk to her knees as she stared at the building, her hand covering her mouth in shock as the tears pricked her eyes. _What have I done?_


	12. I'm a Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda faces the aftermath of her accident and relies on Jemma for comfort.

The whole ride back to the compound was spent in an uncomfortable silence. Natasha sat up in the pilot’s seat while Steve and Sam sat in the back together. Wanda sat alone, curled up in the corner, silently crying at the destruction she had caused. It was her fault; her fault that so many people died. She was a monster.

No one had the words to comfort her. It was like Ultron all over again, and that pained Steve. Over the past year, he had taken Wanda under his wing and kind of adopted her as a little sister, and he hated to see her upset. He rose from his seat next to Sam and made his way to the back of the Quinjet, sitting beside Wanda. He didn’t speak as he placed an arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Wanda in turn, wrapped her arms around Steve’s torso and cried into his uniform. Neither of them said anything, he just let Wanda cry on his shoulder as he looked straight ahead, occasionally glancing at Sam to see him staring at them with sadness in his eyes.

Sam didn’t know Wanda that well since she didn’t live in the compound anymore, but he also hated seeing her upset. He turned his head away from the two of them and stood, walking towards the front of the jet, sitting in the co-pilot’s seat.

“How much longer?” he asked Natasha in a quiet voice that was unlike him.

“Not much. Maybe another two hours,” the redhead said, her voice void of any expression. Her gaze was focused straight ahead of them, staring into the open sky.

“I can’t take this…this quiet…it’s too much,” Sam said after another minute of silence. Natasha glanced at him; eyebrow raised in question.

“What do you want to talk about, Wilson?” she asked as she moved her eyes back to the sky. Sam shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know, but I can’t take it back there. It’s too quiet and I hate the sound of the kid crying.” Natasha tensed at the mention of Wanda crying. She gripped the controls of the jet tighter, her knuckles turning white as she grew angry at Sam’s words.

“You do realize that she’s deeply hurt, right? That she single handedly caused the deaths of all those people? I think she has a right to cry,” Natasha said, keeping her voice quiet but harsh. She didn’t want Wanda to hear them talking about her, though she was sure she already knew.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Sam said putting up his hands in defense. “I get that she’s upset and I feel for her. I only meant that…,” he paused. “I don’t know what I meant.”

“I get it,” Natasha said sighing in defeat. “It was like this after Ultron, you know. The same silence, the same crying. It was heartbreaking. No one knew what to do or what to say, and I think that hurts the most; seeing someone in so much emotional pain, and not being able to do anything about it.”

○○○

Jemma paced around the living room of the apartment, feeling the familiar dread and anxiety creep up on her. Her palms started sweating and she felt like she was about to break down and cry. The fear gnawed at her as she waited for her phone to ring and flash with Wanda’s name and number. She was immediately brought back to Ultron and how she felt waiting for Lily’s call that never came, and the uneasiness took hold of her, almost prompting her to call Wanda just so she could hear her voice telling her everything was okay and that she was fine just so Jemma could stop worrying.

And that’s what she did. She picked up her phone off the island and dialed Wanda’s number and pressed the phone to her ear as she heard it ring. The worrying she felt only grew with each ring as she didn’t pick up right away. _Maybe she’s in the middle of the mission. Maybe she’s sleeping. Maybe she lost her phone. Or maybe she was hurt or dead. _Jemma shook her head at the negative thoughts when she heard the sound of someone picking up.

“Hello? Wanda?” Jemma asked in a panic, feeling some relief.

_“No, this is Steve. Jemma is that you?”_ Jemma froze. _What is Steve doing with Wanda’s phone? Is she okay?_

“Steve? What’s going on? Where’s Wanda, is she okay? Please, God, tell me she’s okay—” Jemma rambled as Steve cut her off.

_“She’s okay, Jemma, there was just a little issue with the mission, but I promise she’s okay.” _Jemma relaxed at his words.

“Okay, can I talk to her?”

_“Hold on,”_ she could hear Steve talking in the background, probably to Wanda, but she frowned a bit when Steve came back on the line. _“She’s asleep right now, Jemma. I’ll let her know you called and she’ll call you back, I’ll make sure of it. I’ll talk to you later, Jemma. Bye.”_

“Bye,” she said as she heard Steve hang up. Jemma stared at the floor in confusion; _Why did Steve Rogers lie to me?_

○○○

Hours had passed before Jemma heard the familiar sound of a key in the lock. She stood up from her seat on the loveseat and Jemma watched as Wanda’s familiar brown hair entered the apartment. Griffon ran out from the bedroom and ran over to Wanda, rubbing his face against her legs meowing. She bent down to pet him gently before looking over at Jemma who was standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed over her body.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” Wanda said quietly as she started to walk past Jemma to her room. Jemma reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her and causing her to look at Jemma.

“Where the hell have you been?” Jemma asked slowly, trying to not to scream at the girl. Wanda shifted uncomfortably and didn’t meet Jemma’s eyes.

“I…hung out at the compound for a little bit. I needed to decompress,” Wanda said.

“And you didn’t think to call and tell me?” Wanda didn’t answer. “I was worried sick about you. I thought that something had happened to you. I thought that you were dead. I thought I lost you like I lost—” Jemma cut herself off as Wanda’s face snapped to Jemma’s. “I thought I lost you…like I lost Lily.”

“I’m sorry,” Wanda whispered as both her and Jemma felt the tears form in their eyes. Wanda brought the woman into her arms allowing the woman to cry into her neck. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you, but I’m okay. I promise.” After a few minutes, the two women pulled away and Wanda started towards her room again.

“What happened on the mission? Steve said there was an issue.” Wanda paused in front of her door, her fingers grazing the doorknob. She visibly tensed as she thought back on what happened during the mission; the bomb, the building, the many people that she killed. “Wanda, are you okay?”

Wanda ignored Jemma and walked into her room and laid on her bed, face down, much like how she laid when Jemma visited her at the compound after Ultron’s attack. Jemma followed, clearly seeing that something was bothering her young roommate. She entered the room and sat on her bed, gently taking her hand and rubbing the girl’s back.

“Wanda, please talk to me. What happened?”

“You’re going to hate me,” Wanda said quietly as her Sokovian accent came through. She fought hard to keep from crying again, but her voice cracked and a few tears spilled from her eyes at the thought of Jemma hating her for what she had done. Jemma sighed and lifted the girl from her position and brought her into her lap and embraced her. She rested her chin on top of Wanda’s brown hair and continued to rub her back, letting her cry. She placed a small kiss on Wanda’s hair.

“Wanda, you know that I could never hate you. Now, please, tell me what happened.” Wanda didn’t speak, instead she grabbed the remote to her TV and turned the device on, automatically playing a news station. Jemma’s attention followed to the screen.

_“11 Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria, earlier today. The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission in Lagos when the attack occurred.”_ Wanda flipped to another news channel.

_“They are operating outside and above the international law. Because that’s the reality, if we don’t respond to acts like these. What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeri—” _Jemma grabbed the remote and turned off the TV and turned to look at Wanda.

“It’s my fault,” she said sadly. “I killed all those people. I’m a monster.”

“You’re not a monster, Wanda. It was just an accident.”

“They sure don’t think it was an accident.” Wanda didn’t meet her eyes and just stared at the floor, allowing herself to wallow in self-pity.

“Did you mean to kill those people?” Jemma asked her with an eyebrow raised. Wanda sighed; of course, she didn’t mean to kill those people, that didn’t change the fact that she did.

“Of course, I didn’t mean to kill them. But, Jemma, I still did. Whether I did it on purpose or not, they’re still dead. I’m still a murderer.” Jemma got up from the side of Wanda’s bed and walked to the other side, laying down beside her. She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling, not speaking.

The two women didn’t speak for the rest of the evening. Jemma didn’t know what else to say to Wanda, and Wanda was too wrapped up in her own head to even think of a conversation. Eventually, Jemma left to go to the kitchen to make dinner for the two of them, leaving Wanda to her thoughts. There weren’t many moments when Wanda shut Jemma out anymore, but when she did, it was always difficult to bring her back out. Jemma stood outside Wanda’s closed door, trying to bring herself to knock and let the young woman know that dinner was ready and that she should join her.

“Wanda? Wanda, dinner’s ready. Why don’t you come out and get something to eat?” The inside of the room was quiet, until Jemma heard the soft sound of someone moving around, and before long, Wanda walked out of her room and stepped closer to Jemma, hugging her. She buried her face in her chest and closed her eyes, relishing the hug. Jemma wrapped her arms around Wanda and patted her back, before the both of them pulled away and walked towards the kitchen and helped themselves to food.

Almost as if the foul mood didn’t happen, the two women laughed and joked as they ate. Yes, Wanda was glad that she had Jemma Barnes in her life; the one person she had left that could pull her out of any bad mood that she was feeling.

“So, what did you do while I was out?” Wanda asked as she brought her fork up to her mouth, eating the piece of chicken that Jemma made while looking at her. Wanda was always curious about what Jemma did when she wasn’t here, like it was some big secret. Jemma laughed as she too ate a piece of chicken.

“Why do you want to know? My life isn’t nearly as interesting as yours,” she countered as she got up to pour herself a glass of wine. She held out the bottle towards Wanda and raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she wanted some.

“You know I’m not old enough to drink,” she said as she sipped her water, tilting her head at the older woman. Jemma smiled and put the bottle back in the fridge, walked back to her seat, and patted Wanda on the shoulder, causing her to laugh.

“Good. That’s good. Remember, always say no. Alcohol is bad for you.”

“But then why are you drinking it?” Wanda asked laughing.

“It’s too late for me, besides, I said it’s bad for _you_!” Jemma replied laughing also as she took a sip of her wine, giving Wanda a side-eye.


	13. The Accords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secretary Ross brings up the Sokovia Accords to the Avengers.

About a month passed after the incident in Lagos before Wanda started showing her face around the compound. She hadn’t been allowed to go on missions for a while, which she almost insisted on, and instead spent the time training alone in one of the many training rooms. Usually, when she trained at the compound, she made sure that she was alone, but today, she couldn’t help but notice Steve’s presence watching her as she trained.

Wanda positioned her hands on the bag, finding the middle and steadying it, before pulling her fist back and striking the bag hard. She repeated the process, hitting the bag harder with each punch, letting out pent up anger and frustration with each hit. The punching bag swung backwards with each strike of Wanda’s fists. She was sweating hard and her fists started to hurt, but she didn’t care.

She channeled all her anger and pain into each punch, imagining that she was punching the face of her worst enemy (which if she was being honest, shifted to various people after each punch, included her own). Wanda delivered the final punch, sending the bag flying off the hook and landing a few feet away from her, spilling its contents. Wanda stood in the same spot as before, panting hard as sweat dripped down her face, her eyes glowing a dark red.

Steve cleared his throat from the entrance of the training room. Wanda snapped her attention to him, and looked down at her hands, noticing the red mist that surrounded her fists. She turned towards the entrance and walked closer to Steve but turned slightly towards a bench. She sat down and grabbed a towel and wiped her brow, then she grabbed her water bottle and took a swift drink.

“That was impressive,” he said as he sat down beside her. “You know, it’s interesting to know someone else that can knock the bag off the hook.” Wanda looked at him, then looked back at the bag staring at it.

“I used my powers; it doesn’t count,” she deadpanned, taking another sip of water.

“Your powers are part of you, of your strength. They always count.” Steve looked over at Wanda and then followed her gaze to stare at the bag. He sighed deeply before speaking again. “It’s good to see you back here.”

“It’s only been a month since the last time you saw me, Steve,” Wanda said quietly.

“Yeah, I know, it’s just we all missed you. Whether you think you are or not, you’re a part of this family and we all care about you. I’ve noticed that the news still hasn’t let up on you, and all I can think about is you watching that garbage thinking your nothing but the weapon that HYDRA made you to be...” Steve sighed again. He didn’t know how to continue; surely she had gotten the point of what he was saying. Wanda smiled but her eyes didn’t hold any humor or happiness; only pain.

“It’s my fault,” she said inhaling deeply, trying to keep the tears at bay. _I will not be weak._

“That’s not true,” Steve countered with certainty.

“I should’ve clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it.” Wanda turned her attention to Steve and he leaned forward, clasping his hands and sighing. “Rumlow said ‘Bucky’ and…all of a sudden I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn. And people died. It’s on me.”

“It’s on both of us,” Wanda said taking one of his hands in her own. He looked up at her and smile a little.

“This job…We try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn’t mean everybody. But if we can’t find a way to live with that, next time…maybe nobody gets saved.” Wanda felt a slight sense of comfort at Steve’s words. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder and the two sat in silence, mulling over everything that was said. Suddenly, a red hand phased through the wall next to Wanda, causing the young woman to scream and jump up from the bench. Vision stood before her, dressed in semi-formal attire, looking between a shocked and scared Wanda and a mentally done Steve.

“What?” the android asked with confusion.

“Vision, we talked about this,” Steve said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose while gesturing between the wall and Vision. Vision followed his gesture, and opened his mouth in understanding, making an ‘o’ shape.

“My apologies,” he said, directing his apology to Wanda who was staring at him wide-eyed. “But, Captain, you wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving.”

“Thank you. We’ll be right there.”

“I’ll…use the door,” Vision said, walking past Wanda to the door to the training room, but paused as his hand grazed the handle. “Oh, and apparently, he’s brought a guest.”

“We know who it is?”

“The Secretary of State,” Vision said before leaving and disappearing down the hall. 

○○○

Secretary Ross stood in front of the Avengers at the head of the conference table, looking each one of them in the eye before he started speaking. Wanda didn’t like him; she got a weird feeling from being around him. His very presence made her uncomfortable, and she couldn’t tell if it had anything to do with who he was as a person or if it was because he worked for the U.S. Government.

“Five years ago, I had a heart attack,” Secretary Ross started. “I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass…I found something that 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective.” He paused, but Wanda shifted a little, waiting for the twist in his story. “The world owes the Avengers and unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives…but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some…who would prefer the word ‘vigilantes’.”

“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Natasha asked, tilting her head to the side. Secretary Ross looked at her.

“How about ‘dangerous’? What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?” Wanda felt herself grow angry; this man had the _nerve _to lecture the Avengers about causing damage, when they were only trying to protect the world from threats. _Way more damage would’ve been done and more people would’ve died had it not been for the Avengers intervening, and if they hadn’t you’d still be here, lecturing us on how we let all this shit happen._ Wanda bit her tongue; now wasn’t the time. Secretary Ross stepped aside, revealing a large screen. He pointed a remote at it, and news footage of the Avengers and other S.H.I.E.L.D. incidents started playing.

“New York,” he continued as the screen played a clip of a Chitauri leviathan, terrified citizens, a soldier firing a gun, and the Hulk smashing into buildings sending clouds of dust to engulf the camera. “Washington DC.” The next clip plays, showing the three Insight carriers firing at each other, the destroyed Triskelion, a helicarrier crashing into the Potomac, causing a giant wave that engulfs citizens and the camera. “Sokovia.” Wanda instantly tensed at the mention of her home as she watched the screen, seeing the clip of terrified citizens running and buildings being destroyed as the city rose in the air. Wanda felt her breath hitch as she thought of Pietro and Lily. “Lagos.” The clips showed the burning building, paramedics moving bodies, and a dead girl. Wanda couldn’t stop the tears that she felt come to her eyes. She removed her gaze from the screen and looked down at her hands on the table. _No matter what I do, I’ll always cause people harm. I’m not a hero, I’m a monster; a weapon. And that’s all I’ll ever be. _Steve looked over at her and moved his hand to the table from his chin, sitting back a little more.

“Okay. That’s enough.” Secretary Ross nodded to his aide standing by the door and the screen turns off, the images disappearing.

“For the past four years, you’ve operated with unlimited power and _no_ supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.” He walked to his aide, who handed him a thick document, and then Ross walked back towards the table, placing the document on it and sliding it to Wanda. She then, picked it up, glanced at it quickly before sliding it over to Rhodey. Secretary Ross continued, feeling a little proud. “The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries…it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”

“The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place,” Steve said, not looking Ross in his eyes, feeling uncomfortable about the Accords. “I feel we’ve done that.”

“Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?” Steve looked up, meeting Ross’s eyes. “If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes…you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.” Along with the sadness that Wanda felt, she also felt her anger grow. _How can this man even think of comparing actual people to weapons?_ Rhodey’s voice brought her out of her thoughts and back to the meeting.

“So, there are contingencies.”

“Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over.” Ross turned to leave. Natasha’s voice stopped him.

“And if we come to a decision you don’t like?” she asked, almost challenging him, her head still tilted. Secretary Ross looked back at her, hearing her challenge.

“Then you retire,” he said before leaving.

○○○

Wanda sat next to Vision on one of the couches in the compound. She heard Sam and Rhodey arguing over the Accords, but she paid them no mind, as she focused on her own thoughts. She was conflicted; she didn’t know whether to sign or not. She knew that she was dangerous and possessed dangerous powers, and because of that she should be regulated, right? Despite this, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the Accords would only hurt her instead of helping her. Vision shifted slightly beside her, preparing to engage in the argument.

“I have an equation,” he proposed calmly. Sam glared at him and back at Rhodey.

“Oh, this’ll clear it up,” he said sarcastically waving his arm in Vision’s direction.

“In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.” Steve looked up from reading the Accords and looked over at Vision.

“Are you saying it’s our fault?” the Captain asked, eyebrow raised.

“I’m saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict…breeds catastrophe. Oversight…Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.” Wanda looks over at the android, still remaining quiet.

“Boom,” Rhodey said, turning back to face Sam who just looked more annoyed. Natasha looked over at Tony, noticing that he hasn’t spoken since the meeting with Ross.

“Tony. You’re being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal.”

“That’s because he’s already made up his mind,” Steve said.

“Boy, you know me so well,” Tony said sarcastically as he got up from the couch. He winced and rubbed the back of his head. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a mud. “Actually, I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache. That’s what’s going on, Cap. It’s just pain. It’s discomfort. Who’s putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?” Tony placed his phone on the counter, a picture of a young man projected up on it. He sips his coffee, looking around at the others before acknowledging the picture.

“Oh, that’s Charles Spencer, by the way. He’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before her parked behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn’t go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia.”

The team looked uncomfortable as the processed Tony’s words, especially Wanda. She still blamed herself for everything that happened with Ultron. Even if it wasn’t her fault, she still tried to help him achieve his goal. She turned her attention away from everyone, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Tony continued.

“He wanted to make a difference; I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass,” He paused as he took a pill and another sip of coffee. “There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys.”

“Tony, when someone dies on your watch, you don’t give up,” Steve said with as much sympathy as he could muster.

“Who said we’re giving up?” Tony questioned.

“We are if we’re not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame.” Steve had now stopped reading and put the document down. Rhodey stepped up and faced the super soldier.

“I’m sorry. Steve. That—that is dangerously arrogant. This is the _United Nations_ we’re talking about. It’s not the World Security Council, it’s not S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s not HYDRA.”

“No, but it’s run by people with agendas, and agendas change.” Wanda physically couldn’t listen to the arguing anymore. All it was doing was making her anxious and she could already feel her heartrate pick up. She knew that Vision could also sense the change because he subtly took his hand and placed it on top or hers, trying to comfort her and calm her down. It partially worked, but she still felt uneasy. Wanda knew that the only person who could fully calm her down was Jemma, so she took out her phone and opened up her messages. Clicking on her conversation with Jemma, Wanda began typing out her message.

_Jemma, I need your help._

**Of course, what’s the matter?**

_I’m feeling really anxious and I’m not sure if I’m having an attack._

**Okay, well, I need you to take deep breaths. Are you hyperventilating?**

_No, but my heart is beating fast._

**Okay, just take deep breaths. Everything is going to be okay. Where are you? Can you leave? Take a walk?**

_I’m not sure if I can leave. In the middle of a meeting. _

**Okay, I’ll pick you up. I’m going to leave now. I should be there in about an hour. Hang tight.**

Wanda locked her phone and placed it back in her pocket and tuned back into the conversation.

“If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done _to _us later. That’s the fact. That won’t be pretty,” Tony said matter-of-factly. Wanda tensed at his words, understanding what they meant, at least what they meant for _her_.

“You’re saying they’ll come for me,” Wanda said, speaking for the first time. Everyone looked at her, not knowing how to answer her. She didn’t ask a question; she stated it like a fact. They would come for her; they would come and lock her away because they didn’t see her as a person and never will. She was a weapon, that if let loose, could cause so much damage. Vision tightened his grip on her hand, redirecting her attention to him. He looked at her with gentle eyes.

“We would protect you,” he said, as if he was genuinely worried about her safety.

“Maybe Tony’s right,” Natasha said, also speaking up for the first time in a while. “If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off—”

“Aren’t you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?” Sam asked narrowing his eyes at her as he stared in disbelief.

“I’m just…I’m reading the terrain. We have made…some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.”

“Focus up. I’m sorry, did I mishear you or did you just agree with me?” Tony asked, smiling lightly, joking around. Natasha shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Oh, I so want to take it back now.”

“No, no, no. You can’t retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed – I win.” Tony clapped his hands and stood from his seat. Wanda heard the faint sound of a phone vibrating, and at first she flinched, thinking it was her own, going to pull hers out, but stopped when she Steve pull out his. He looked at the screen, and she saw his face fall. She didn’t mean to read his mind, but before she could stop herself, she already knew what happened; Peggy Carter was gone. Steve looked up at her, having felt her poking around in his head. She mouthed a sincere apology as he stood from his seat.

“I have to go,” he said, leaving the room. Wanda followed after him but didn’t try to keep up with him. A part of her wanted to go a comfort the man that felt like a brother to her, the man that tried so hard to get her to open up about her own grief; but she couldn’t follow him. Instead, she walked back to her room and gather her things, readying herself for when Jemma came.


	14. The Choice

“I don’t know what to do, Jemma,” Wanda said. After Jemma picked her up from the compound, the two went back to the apartment where Jemma put on some gentle music, made hot chocolate, and curled up on the couch with Wanda while she told her everything that was going on with the Accords. “What do I do?”

“I don’t know, Sweetie.” Jemma gently rubbed Wanda’s arm. Jemma wasn’t enhanced; she didn’t have superpowers, so the Sokovia Accords wouldn’t affect her. “I honestly don’t know what you should do.”

“Ever since the bombings that destroyed my home, I’ve found it hard to trust any government. How can I trust this one? What makes them different?” Wanda asked, a hint of sadness and fear in her voice.

“I’m sure the government doesn’t want to hurt you, Wanda. I’m sure they just want to protect you Avengers and all people from more devastation.”

“But Ross tried to make it seem like everything that happened was our fault. Like the Avengers called Loki and his army to New York; that the Avengers were behind HYDRA growing within S.H.I.E.L.D.. Everything would’ve been worse had the Avengers not stepped in, and he’s not giving us enough credit,” Wanda said, the anger she felt earlier resurfaced. She stood up from the couch and started pacing in front of Jemma. She was too anxious and afraid to speak up during the meeting, but all the anger that she felt bubbled over and she couldn’t contain it. “And, he had the nerve to compare enhanced people to bombs; referring to them only as weapons to be used in a war rather than actual people. There’s no way that he even gives a _shit _about people like me. If he had it his way, we’d be locked up in some secret government base, never seeing sunlight again, like the ‘weapons’ we are.”

Jemma watched helplessly as Wanda paced in front of her, growing angrier with each step. Her eyes held a faint red hew and a red mist surrounded her hands that gestured wildly as she spoke, venom dripping from her angry words. Jemma felt hurt; she didn’t know what to say to help calm Wanda down. She had never met the girl’s fury, only her sadness. She reached out and gently grabbed on to Wanda’s arm, pulling her from her angry rant, and pulled her back to the couch. Sitting her down, Jemma leaned Wanda’s head on her shoulder and held her close, trying to get her to relax. The red in her eyes soon faded as she sat in Jemma’s comforting embrace.

“This document says it’s supposed to help protect us and people, but why do I keep getting this feeling that it’ll do more harm than good?” Wanda asked as she calmed down. The anger had subsided, and all that was left was fear. Fear for herself and her future. She’s been a prisoner before and wasn’t looking forward to becoming one again. She’s been lied to by an authority figure many times, and she was damn sure she wasn’t going to let that happen again. She wasn’t going to look like a fool anymore.

“There’s no way of knowing what will happen, either with the Accords or without it. All I can say, is that you should do whatever you think is right. Do that, and I promise that I’ll always support you; no matter what.”

○○○

Wanda was still undecided about how she should proceed with the Accords. Most days, she locked herself in her room desperately looking for an answer, but always being left empty. She hadn’t left the apartment since Secretary Ross came to the compound with the Accords. She missed them all, even though she was a little angry with how some had decided to sign. Vision stopped by to see her every day to keep her company since Jemma wasn’t around much during the day because of her job. At first, he would always knock or phase through the door to come in, but Jemma had given him a key and Wanda lectured him about phasing when he once walked in on her just coming out of the shower.

Wanda was currently in her usual position, sitting on her bed staring at the ceiling, hoping for an answer to her problem to just fall right into her lap. Jemma’s writing playlist of classical music played loudly in her room, drowning out all other outside noises. The smell of food was the only thing that pulled her from her thoughts and her room. She wasn’t sure where the smell was coming from since Jemma was at work and wouldn’t be back for a while. Walking down the small hallway to the kitchen, Wanda saw the tall red and vibranium body of Vision, and while she was a little shocked to see him there in the kitchen cooking, she wasn’t at all surprised.

Vision liked to come and keep her company, and would sometimes try his hand at cooking, making sure that Wanda was eating. He stood in front of the stove, reading a piece of paper, a pot sitting on one of the burners. Wanda stepped into the room quietly and sat at the island. Vision was muttering to himself.

“‘A pinch of paprika.’ A pinch.” He looks confusedly at the recipe but added the ingredient. Wanda looked over the island, trying to see what he was making. The air smelled delicious and reminded Wanda of home.

“Is that paprikash?” she asked from her seat at the island. Vision whirled around and offered a her small smile.

“I thought it might…lift your spirits.” Wanda stood from her seat and walked around to the stove and stood next to Vision.

Grabbing the spoon that was sitting in the pot, Wanda brought some of the delicacy to her lips, blew on it, and tasted it. She smiled; it reminded her of her of simpler times with her family.

“Spirits lifted,” she said still smiling and chuckling, looking up at Vision. He smiled in return, glad that his first attempt at making this wasn’t a disaster.

“In my defense, I haven’t actually ever…eaten anything before, so…”

“May I?” Wanda asked smiling, hoping to lend her friend a hand.

“Please,” he said gesturing to the pot, giving her a small smile. Vision walked out of her way and stood at the island. “Wanda?”

“Hmm.” Wanda had her back to him as she sniffed different herbs and sprinkled them into the pot.

“No one dislikes you, Wanda.” Wanda turned slightly and looked at Vision, frowning curiously.

“Thanks,” she said turning back around.

“Oh, you’re welcome. No, it’s a…involuntary response in their amygdala. They can’t help but be afraid of you.” Wanda turned off the stove and turned to face Vision. Her face was serious and void of lightheartedness.

“Are you?” she asked. She was afraid of the answer, seeing as how Vision was one of her only real friends, but she needed to know. Vision smiled at her.

“My amygdala is synthetic, so…” Wanda laughed at his attempt at a joke to lighten the mood.

“I used to think of myself one way. But after this…,” Wanda said creating a little misty red ball around her fingers. She moved it around her hand. “I am something else. I’m still me, I think, but…that’s not what everyone else sees.” The little red ball faded away, and Wanda frowned. Vision sighed before speaking.

“Do you know, I don’t know what this is,” he said touching the stone in his head, causing it to glow a light yellow. “Not really. I know it’s not of this world, that it powered Loki’s staff, gave you your abilities, but…its true nature is a mystery. And yet, it is part of me.”

“Are you afraid of it?”

“I wish to _understand _it. The more I do, the less it controls me. One day…who knows? I may even control it.” Wanda was silent for a couple of seconds, turning back to look at the pot on the stove.

“I don’t know what’s in this but it is not paprika. I’m going to run to the store. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.” She started to walk around the island, grabbing her keys, but Vision stood up quickly in front of her, blocking her path.

“Alternatively, we could order a pizza?” he asked. Wanda stared at him seriously.

“Vision,” she said, her voice low and her eyes looking into Vision’s. “Are you not letting me leave?”

“It is a matter of safety,” Vision said, looking down, breaking their stares. Wanda chuckled dryly and sidestepped around him.

“I can protect myself.” Vision’s arm reached out and crossed Wanda’s body, stopping her from walking forward.

“Not yours. Mr. Stark would like to avoid the possibility of another public incident.” Wanda looked up at him in sadness. Even in her own home she was treated as a monster.

“And what do you want?” she asked him. His blue eyes looked into her green ones.

“For people to see you…as I do.”

Wanda turned from Vision and stormed into her room. She stood in the middle of it, pacing. Her hands flew from her side and grasped her hair. She was so angry; she was angry at Vision, she was angry at Tony, she was angry at the government, she was angry at _herself_. She suddenly stopped, catching her reflection in her mirror, and realization dawned on her. All of this, the fighting, the Accords, her “house arrest”; it was _all her fault_. It all started when she blew up that building in Lagos. _No. It all started when I let Lily die in Sokovia. I could’ve saved her, but I was too selfish. I let her die, and this is my punishment. _

○○○

Jemma hadn’t seen Wanda at all since she came home from work. She tried knocking on her door, but either Wanda was asleep or she was ignoring her, because she didn’t answer. Jemma sighed, having heard what happened, and sat down on the hardwood floor outside of her door. She rested her head on her knees, crying softly as she thought about how no matter what Wanda did she was always and would always be treated as a weapon first before a person. It wasn’t fair how someone so amazing and kind and scared was always let down by those around her. As Jemma thought, she started to think back to the Accords and what could happen to Wanda if she signed. She prayed to God or whoever was listening that Wanda didn’t sign the Accords. She could feel it in her soul; this wasn’t right, and she didn’t want Wanda to give in and submit, hoping that it would bring relief only to be lied to once again. She wanted Wanda to fight for her right to exist, but she knew that she couldn’t push the girl into any decision; it was up to Wanda.


	15. Runway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A misunderstanding between Jemma and Wanda causes her to run away to the Avengers compound.

That night, Wanda laid awake, staring at the ceiling. She was exhausted, but the deafening sound of her guilt kept her up. She rolled over and grabbed her phone to check the time. It was 3:30am, and Wanda groaned. _Why can’t it just be morning already?_ She placed her phone back on her nightstand and closed her eyes, trying one more time to go to sleep. After laying still for a few minutes feeling nothing, Wanda opened her eyes and sighed deeply.

She was still upset about what happened with Vision. She knew he blamed himself for her reaction, and she didn’t blame him (in fact, she wasn’t even upset by him), she was upset at Tony. She knew he never really liked her, not that she cared since she didn’t really like him, but it hurt her that her own teammate was afraid of her and her powers. If she was being honest, she wasn’t really surprised that the team was afraid of her, some part of her always knew it; she just didn’t want to admit it.

Wanda tried to focus her attention on anything but her thoughts. She sat up and got out of her bed, silently leaving the room, and headed into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle. She wasn’t thirsty, but she wanted something—no—needed something to do to take her mind off the fact that her own mind wasn’t letting her _fucking _sleep. She rubbed her eyes as a big yawn escaped her lips. She stared at the closed curtains of the living room windows, focusing on the late night sounds of the city.

The feeling of something soft brushing up against her snapped Wanda from her trance, causing her to jump slightly at the sudden contact, but she calmed down when she saw the familiar orange fur of Griffon’s head at her feet. Looking up at her, Griffon let out a little “meow” as he continued to rub his head against Wanda’s leg, purring softly. It was safe to say that Griffon liked Wanda much better than he liked Lily. Wanda laughed quietly at the feline and bent down to pick him up. Griffon curled up in her arms, purring louder.

“What are you doing up, huh?” she asked him in a whisper, not expecting an answer. Griffon’s green eyes stared back at hers, blinking slowly, as if to fire the question right back at her. She sighed, continuing, “Yeah, I know. We should both be asleep. Come on.” She carried the feline back into her room and placed him on her bed. Griffon jumped out of Wanda’s arms and walked around a little bit on her bed, finding the most comfortable spot. Finally, he settled down and curled up in a little ball and fell asleep. Wanda followed him and got into bed and pulled him close.

As Wanda settled into the silence ready to fall asleep, a strange sound from Jemma’s room snapped her out of any impending sleep. Creeping out of her room, Wanda walked the few steps it too to get to Jemma’s room, and sat outside her closed door, listening curiously to find out what the sound was.

In her room, Jemma laid asleep, tossing and turning, caught in another nightmare. They weren’t as frequent as they used to be, but this one bothered her for a while. She laid in her bed, whimpering as the dream haunted her. Wanda sat outside, listening to Jemma whimper and cry in her sleep. She grew curious of the nature of her dream, wanting desperately to look inside Jemma’s head to help ease her sleep and to satisfy her own curiosity. Wanda quietly crept into Jemma’s room and walked to her side of the bed.

Her footsteps were light and quiet as she walked across the hardwood floor, careful not to wake Jemma. Kneeling beside her, Wanda’s eyes burned a dark red as she brought up her hand, a red mist slithered gracefully around her fingers, and allowed the magic to enter Jemma’s head. Wanda’s eyes widened as she saw into Jemma’s dream, and at that instant she knew she made a mistake.

_Wanda looked around at the war-battered streets. Buildings were destroyed and rubble laid in the roads all around her. Smoke from the many fires and dust filtered through the air making it hard to breathe. The area looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t place the location. Turning to her left, she started walking, trying to see if she could find someone, anyone. She didn’t know how long she had been searching, but she found no one. There was no one here; she was alone. _Odd._ She kept walking, looking at the semi-familiar destroyed buildings and streets, scratching at her head. Where was she? _

_“Hello?” she called into the emptiness of the city. She waited a minute, hoping to hear a response. “Hello? Is anyone here?” _

_“Hello?” a voice called out to her in the distance. Through a cloud of smoke, Wanda could see the silhouette of a person. Though she was still confused, Wanda was happy that she wasn’t alone. _

_“Over here,” she called waving her hand in the air, signaling the person in front of her, but the person didn’t follow. _

_“Hello?” the voice called again. _

_“Hey, I’m over here,” Wanda tried again, this time the voice walked in her direction. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she felt a brief pang of dread. Something about this dream didn’t feel right. The figure stepped out from the cloud of smoke and stood before Wanda but didn’t look at her. Wanda’s hand flew up to cover her mouth as a loud gasp escaped her lips. She looked at the young woman standing in front of her and she immediately knew where she was; Sokovia. _

_Suddenly, the backdrop faded, and Lily disappeared from Wanda’s vision. Wanda was now in the dark. She didn’t know where she was now or what happened to Lily. Trying to find an answer, Wanda turned around frantically looking for a way out of the dark. To her left, she heard the sound of laughter. Wanda felt relief; maybe they could help her. She ran towards the laughter, smiling brightly, but her smile soon faltered as she was catapulted from the darkness to the familiar layout of Jemma’s apartment that had quickly become her home. Confusion filled her as she looked around. Somehow, the apartment looked different. _

_The laughter rang out again, pulling Wanda towards the hallway leading to Jemma’s room. Following the laughter, Wanda stalked towards it. The laughter grew louder until Wanda was standing in the room. She felt tears pool in her eyes as she looked over and saw Jemma and Lily lying next to each other laughing at the TV show they were watching; neither of them noticing her standing in the room. _

_Jemma laughed louder as Lily tried to bury her face into her neck, and a pang of guilt struck Wanda’s core. In the short time that she had lived with Jemma, she had never seen the young woman look so happy, but yet here she was, smiling so brightly that the corners of her mouth reached her eyes and her eyes shined with happiness and love. A small part of Wanda felt jealous of the love that the two of them shared. _

_“Lily, come on, stop it,” Jemma squealed loudly as Lily kept tickling her._

_“Jemma,” Lily whined as she pulled her face away from Jemma’s neck, the bare skin slightly red. “You know I leave in a few days, and you keep teasing me. Do you feel joy watching me suffer like this?” Lily pouted slightly causing Jemma to burst out laughing._

_“Actually, yes. Yes, I do feel joy watching you suffer,” Jemma replied in a snarky attitude, still laughing at Lily’s fake guilt trip. _

_“You’re such a fucking sadist,” Lily said laughing placing a kiss on Jemma’s forehead and leaning back in the bed. _

_Before Jemma could reply, the apartment started to shake violently. All lightheartedness left the atmosphere as the roof started to cave in and the building crumbled. Wanda stood frozen in fear and sadness. She reached her hands out, trying to summon her powers to stop the debris from falling, but it was no use; she wasn’t really there. _

_“Jemma move!” Lily yelled as she pushed her out of the way. Jemma screamed as a giant piece of ceiling fell on top of Lily. Tears blurred her vision, but as she looked to her left, she could make out another figure. _

_“There can be only one,” the voice said. Wanda turned to the new voice that sounded familiar to her and bit back a scream. Next to her, stood herself, eyes a bright red and a red mist surrounding both of her hands. “This is your fault, Jemma. You couldn’t protect her, and now she’s dead. It’s all your fault.” Wanda sank to her knees as she watched the dream version of herself taunt the brokenhearted woman. Jemma sat up in the rubble and looked over at her, tears streaming down her cheeks and a look of anger painted on her face._

_“No, it’s not my fault. It’s yours. It’s all your fault! It’s your fault!” she screamed at her, but when Wanda turned to the dream version of herself, she was gone. In her place, Wanda stood with glowing red eyes and the red mist surrounding her hands. _

Wanda’s eyes snapped open as she pulled herself out of Jemma’s nightmare. She breathed heavily, stumbling back away from Jemma. _She blames me. I knew it. I knew she blamed me. I knew it. It’s my fault._ The tears stung her eyes as she accepted the truth; Lily’s death was _her _fault. Some part of her always knew that, but she had believed the lies of those that harbored some hatred and fear of her. Wanda silently left Jemma’s room and stumbled back to hers, still entranced by the betrayal of Jemma’s blame.

Guilt washed over her and enveloped her, dragging her down into the deep recesses of her mind, suffocating her. She couldn’t breathe as she grasped at the baseboard of her bed. Her heart ached all over again, as if she was back in Sokovia, but this time there was no easing the pain. She wouldn’t fall for Jemma’s lies anymore. How she hadn’t caught them earlier was beyond her; she caught Natasha’s blame right away, but Jemma’s was carefully hidden. _She was clever._

Wanda quickly changed out of the clothes that she was wearing, suddenly filled with a desperate need to leave the apartment. She didn’t know where she would go at almost four in the morning, but she just had to leave. She packed some clothes in a small bag, grabbed her phone, charger, wallet, and keys and silently slipped out of her room. Wanda hesitated as she reached the front door of the apartment. Her fingers grazed the doorknob as she contemplated leaving a note for Jemma, she didn’t want her to worry about her. _She doesn’t care about me. It was all just an act. She only pities me and blames me for Lily’s death. She’ll barely even notice if I’m here or not. _Huffing to herself, Wanda wiped the stray tear that fell as she opened the apartment door and left.

○○○

Wanda stood on the lit up New York street, alone, and without a plan. She didn’t really know where she could go, especially at this time of night, but all rationale left her as she hailed a taxicab that was coming up the street. Wanda wiped her tear stained face as the cab pulled over in front of Wanda, ready to pick her up. She opened the door and slid in, avoiding the driver’s gaze through the rearview mirror and closed the door.

“Where to, miss?” the gruff voice of the driver spoke. His right eyebrow was raised as he looked back at her through the mirror. Wanda was quiet for a few seconds as she thought of where she could go, and before she even really thought about it, she blurted out the address of the Avengers compound. “You got the money for that?” His eyebrow was still raised.

“Yeah,” Wanda said quietly and pulled out a small wad of cash. The driver nodded at her and turned his gaze away from her and focused on the road.

“Alright,” he said as he pulled away from the curb and started heading toward the compound. As soon as he pulled away, the meter started running. Wanda focused all her attention on the growing numbers, losing herself to her thoughts once again. “So, you running away?” She barely heard him. The driver cleared his throat loudly, pulling her from her thoughts.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I said, you’re running away?”

“What makes you think I’m running away?” the driver chuckled a little, his head bobbed as he laughed.

“Listen missy, I’ve been a cab driver for ten years. I’ve seen everything. I know what running away looks like, and you,” he looked back at her through the mirror.” You are running away.” Wanda remained silent. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of being right; even if he was. “So, what’re you running from? Ex-boyfriend? Annoying parents?”

Wanda didn’t know how to answer. Her situation was much more complicated than the small list that he gave out. She was quiet for a moment before letting out a small, “It’s complicated.” The driver nodded as if he understood what she meant, and maybe he did, but Wanda doubted it. There’s no way that he or anyone could understand what she meant.

“Yeah, no. I get it. I was young too. Everything was complicated. But you know, it don’t have to be.”

“I think it’s a little too late for that.”

“Why don’t you tell me what happened. We’ve got a pretty long drive ahead of us, maybe talking about it will help pass the time.” Wanda contemplated telling this stranger her life story. What would he do if he found out who she really was? What she had done? She was never really open to anyone outside of her brother, except maybe Jemma. She sighed to herself before looking at the mirror.

“I’m running away because I am responsible for the death of my friend’s wife,” she said bluntly. She didn’t see the point in sugar-coating anything. “After she died, I moved in with her ex-wife, and I guess we’ve been helping each other through the grief and depression and whatnot. She kept telling me that it wasn’t my fault and that I shouldn’t blame myself, and I believed her, but tonight…tonight, I found out she blames me…I always knew she blamed me, but I didn’t think it would hurt so much.” Wanda quickly wiped the tear that fell down her cheek. She wasn’t about to cry in front of a stranger. Her driver was quiet for a couple of minutes, before he exhaled quickly.

“Well,” he started. “That certainly is complicated.” Wanda gave him a small laugh, acknowledging his attempt at lightening the mood. “Did she actually tell you that she blames you for her wife’s death? Or are you assuming this?”

Wanda was silent as she thought of his question. Her driver continued.

“Kid, I’m sure she doesn’t actually blame you. If she did, she wouldn’t have opened her home up to you. You know, my son was killed four years ago. Yeah, him and his wife and four-year-old daughter.”

“I’m so sorry,” Wanda said quietly. She felt bad for this man because she knew the pain of losing your whole family in an instant. “What happened?”

“Drunk driving accident. They were stopped at a light, and the driver in the car behind them was drunk and rammed into them, knocking them into traffic. They were killed pretty much instantly, so…” the man grew silent as he talked about the deaths of his family. Wanda felt sorry for him, but uncomfortable at the same time. She never knew how to comfort people; Pietro was much better at that.

The man took a deep breath and continued. “It’s funny. I lost my whole life because of some asshole’s mistakes. He was entirely at fault, and yet, I could never bring myself to blame him or hate him. You know why? I knew that he was struggling with his own demons. I knew that he didn’t need me adding to his own guilt. He may not have felt guilty then, hell, he may not even feel guilty now, but someday he’s gonna feel it, and when he does, he doesn’t need to feel me blaming him.”

Wanda knew he had a point, but this incident was different, and she couldn’t explain that to him. The two sat in silence for the majority of the ride; neither one knowing what else to say. Before long, the cab had reached the familiar driveway of the compound. Wanda knew that the strange man had figured out her identity as he pulled up when he looked at her through the mirror again. He then laughed to himself.

“I thought you looked familiar, kid.” Wanda smiled at the man and grabbed her bag. She opened her door and got out, closing it, and walked over to the driver’s side. She held up the wad of cash and looked at him.

“How much do I owe you?”

“For the ride or for the advice?” the driver joked. Wanda laughed and gave him a small smile as he looked at the meter. He told her the amount, and Wanda gave him that, plus extra.

“Thank you, Mr…”

“John.”

“Thank you, John. For everything.”

“You’re welcome, kid.” Wanda turned away from the cab and started to walk to the compound, but the sound of a horn stopped her and brought her back to the cab. “Let me give you one more piece of advice before you go. Even if your friend does blame you, know that it doesn’t last forever. Once they start to heal, all that hurt and anger will fade away. If she’s a true friend, she’ll know how hurt you are and she’ll go easy on you. The advice was free, by the way.”

Wanda smiled at the middle aged man and thanked him again. John smiled and pulled away from the compound and left. Wanda walked up to the door and took her phone out of her pocket, looking at the time. It was a little after five in the morning. She knew that most of the team would be asleep, except for maybe Steve who spent a lot of time up in the training rooms working out because of his nightmares. She rang the doorbell, hoping that someone was awake to answer her and let her in, but she also didn’t want to wake anybody. Suddenly, Vision’s voice came over the comm.

“You are trespassing on private property. Please state your business or be on your way before the authorities are called.” Wanda sighed; she forgot her ID at the apartment. She pressed the button on the call box, ready to answer Vision.

“Vision, it’s me. Please let me in, I forgot my ID.” The line was silent and Wanda wasn’t sure if Vision heard her or if he was just ignoring her.

“Wanda? Is that you?” the A.I. asked puzzled, confused as to why his teammate was outside of the compound at five in the morning. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” Wanda sighed, getting annoyed. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep.

“Yes, Vision. It’s me, Wanda and I know what time it is. Please Vision, open the door.” After a moment of more silence, Wanda saw Vision’s red and vibranium body phase through the ceiling until he was directly behind the front door. He pressed a button on the wall, unlocking the door, and held it open for her. “Thank you.”

“Wanda, what are you doing here at this time of night? Does Jemma know you are here?”

“No, she doesn’t, Vision. And I would like to keep it that way. Promise me, that if she asks, you won’t tell her I’m here.”

“Wanda, I don’t think—” Vision said, sounding unsure and uncomfortable.

“Please, Vision,” Wanda pleaded. The A.I. sighed and looked into Wanda’s green eyes.

“Alright.” Wanda hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, Vision.”

“What are you doing here, Wanda?” he asked again, feeling a little nervous; clearly something happened between her and Jemma.

“I…just needed to get out of there. I don’t really want to talk about it, Vision.” Vision nodded and led Wanda further inside the compound and up to her room. As they reached her door, Vision placed a hand on Wanda’s shoulder, stopping her from entering.

“Wanda, I feel the need to say this. Under the orders of Mr. Stark, if you are to stay here, I cannot permit you to leave the premises. I hope you understand.”

“Yeah, I understand, Vision,” Wanda said nodding her head in agreement. She turned the doorknob, opening her door, and stepped inside.

“For what it’s worth,” Vision said causing Wanda to turn back to the A.I. “I’m sorry for what happened earlier today. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s okay, Vision. Really, it’s water under the bridge.” She had almost forgotten about their little fight earlier. So much seemed to happen since then, making it feel like it happened so long ago. Vision nodded and disappeared down the hall, leaving Wanda to get some sleep.

Wanda entered her room and closed the door. Dropping her bag on the floor, she took her phone and charger and plugged it into the wall before collapsing onto her bed. She didn’t bother changing her clothes, and she just laid there, looking around at her room. It looked the same since the last time she was there. She felt her eyes start to flutter as sleep took over her, and she didn’t fight it as it dragged her under.


	16. I Can't Control Their Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint comes and rescues Wanda from the compound.

The next few days were pretty uneventful for Wanda. She noticed that the rest of the team currently wasn’t at the compound, and that it was just her and Vision, which she didn’t really mind. It was less people to explain her current situation to, so she was grateful for the solitude. She didn’t really do anything within the past few days; she mostly stayed in her room reading a book or watching TV. Vision came every so often, bringing her food and convincing her to play chess with him (he always won).

Wanda sat in the common room across from Vision, chess board them. Most of Wanda’s white pieces had been captured by Vision’s black pieces and sat close to him on his side of the table. Wanda laughed as Vision made his move, capturing her last rook. He looked up at her as he moved her piece off the board, giving her a warm smile.

“You aren’t that good at this game, are you?” he asked her playfully, Wanda’s smile growing bigger.

“Well, it is hard when you’re playing against a literal computer,” she replied cocking her head to the side, her words dripping with the same level of playfulness. Vision laughed at her response as he watched her, waiting for her move. Wanda looked at the board and her pieces. Most of her pawns were gone as were her two rooms, one bishop, and her knights. Her queen sat in the middle of the board, diagonal from his one rook. She wanted to move her queen and take his rook as revenge for him taking hers, and when she went to move her queen, she noticed Vision’s head flinch.

“What?” she asked him, still smiling.

“I don’t think that would be the best move,” he said as he looked at the board.

Wanda looked between him and the board as an idea formed in her head. She moved her hand away from her queen and moved it over to her last bishop, looking at Vision’s face. Upon seeing her movement, his face contorted into uncertainty. She once again moved her hand and brought it over to one of her pawns, the one closest to his king. Vision’s face didn’t flinch as it had before, and Wanda took that as her go-ahead to move. She moved her pawn up one space, moving it to the same level as Vision’s king.

“Good move,” he commented as he looked at the board, working out which piece to move. His red hand moved towards his queen and a big grin was plastered on his face. Wanda frowned slightly at his sudden change, confusion sweeping through her. Vision grasped his queen and dragged the piece across the board and dramatically knocked over Wanda’s queen.

Wanda’s mouth hung open in shock as the A.I. took her queen away to his side of the table. Once he stood it next to all the other piece he captured, he looked over at Wanda, smiling victoriously as he playfully challenged her to make her move. Wanda, getting over the shock of losing her most powerful piece, sighed as she looked at the board. She was going to lose.

“You know I’ve already mentally given up, right?” she asked Vision as she tried to concentrate.

“Oh, come on. You still have a chance. You’re not defeated yet; fight till the last man.” Wanda made her move, moving the same pawn as before one space forward, making it reach the end of the board. Vision looked at her, waiting for her to continue. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“Which piece do you want?”

“What do you mean?” Vision explained to her that if a pawn reached the opponent’s side of the board, the player can promote their pawn for any other piece of its color besides the king. Wanda smiled, happy by the surprise and chose her queen. Vision swapped out the pawn for the queen, placing it gently on the same square.

The game lasted a little longer, though Vision was still the winner, but Wanda didn’t care. She smiled proudly at her friend, congratulating him on his victory. They spent the rest of the day together, playing different games and reading books; just enjoying each other’s company.

That night, Wanda left Vision’s company and walked back to the solitude of her room. Checking her phone that was sitting on her nightstand charging, she saw the many texts, calls, and voicemail notifications from Jemma. She listened to each message, her heart breaking as she heard the worry in Jemma’s voice. She felt bad for hurting Jemma like this after everything she’s done for her, but Wanda couldn’t escape what she saw in the dream. She locked her phone and placed it back on the nightstand. Walking over to her bookshelf, she picked up the book she had been reading for the past few days and walked over to her window that she had converted into a little reading nook. Turning on the little light she had installed, she sat down and opened her book to the marked page and started reading.

After only getting a few chapters into the book, Wanda heard a loud explosion outside the compound. She dropped the book down and ran out of her room and back into the common room, looking out one of the large windows. Vision was already there, also looking out, as a small fire bloomed in the distance.

“What is it?” she asked somewhat scared.

“Stay here, please,” Vision said not looking at her as he phased through the wall and out of the compound, flying toward the explosion. As Wanda stood by the window, watching intently, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she felt the presence of an intruder. Moving her eyes to her left, seeing the kitchen area, she wrapped her magic around a large knife sitting on top of a cutting board, and hurled the knife behind her, at the intruder. Turning quickly, and seeing who it was, instantly stopped the knife.

The knife stopped inches from Clint’s face, and yet he was unfazed. He brought his hand up and nudged the knife away from his face, and Wanda’s magic released it, letting it clatter to the floor.

“Guess I should’ve knocked.”

“Oh my God,” Wanda gasped at see her unofficial adopted father and the fact that she almost killed him. “What are you doing here?”

“Disappointing my kids,” he replied as he shot arrows on both sides of the room they were in. “I’m supposed to go waterskiing. By the way, I can ask you the same thing. I went to the apartment and Jemma was a wreak, going on about how you weren’t there and hadn’t heard from you. You know she’s worried sick about you, right? She looked like she was having a panic attack.” Wanda felt guilty, but it was for the best. Jemma didn’t need to look at the face of the person responsible for Lily’s death.

“We…I couldn’t stay there anymore, so I came here.” Clint sighed.

“We’re gonna talk about this later, but right now, we gotta go. Cap needs our help. Come on.” Before either of them can walk away, Vision phases back through the wall behind Wanda.

“Clint! You should not be here.”

“Really? I retire for, what, like five minutes and it all goes to shit.” Vision stepped forward, holding out a hand towards Wanda and Clint.

“Please consider the consequences of your actions.” Clint paused and pretended to think.

“Okay, they’re considered.” Clint pressed a button on his bow, activating an electric forcefield containing Vision. He turned and grabbed Wanda’s hand and gently pulled her along. “Okay, we gotta go.” Wanda pulled her hand from Clint’s and stayed standing in her spot, playing with the sleeves of her shirt, pulling them down to cover her hands; something she did when she was nervous. “It’s this way.”

“I’ve caused enough problems,” Wanda said, looking down at the floor. Clint jogged back over to her. Wanda looked up to look at him, her green eyes meeting his blue eyes.

“You gotta help me, Wanda. Look, you wanna mope, can go to high school. You wanna make amends, you get off your ass.” Wanda’s eyes moved from Clint’s as she pondered his words. At that moment, Vision broke free of the forcefield by shooting a blast of yellow light from the mind stone. “Shit.” Vision instantly engaged Clint, punching him to the floor, but Clint recovered, pulling out a baton. “I knew I should've stretched.” He brought the baton up, trying to hit Vision, but it only goes right through him. In an effort to hit his opponent, Clint attempts to punch Vision, though it does nothing. Using the baton again, Clint once more attempts to hit Vision, but the baton breaks. Clint, sighing, kicked at Vision, but his leg went right through him, allowing Vision to put him in a headlock.

“Clint, you can't overpower me,” the A.I. said, holding Clint tightly in the headlock, not giving him an edge to get out. Clint smiled as he slightly struggled to breathe.

“I know I can’t,” he wheezed out. “But she can.” Vision directed his attention to Wanda, who stood in front of him, twirling a ball of red energy. With each wiggle of her finger, the little ball grew a little larger in size. Wanda’s eyes glowed a light red as she used her magic. Vision looked at her sadly, knowing that he couldn’t let her leave.

“Vision, that’s enough. Let him go. I’m leaving,” Wanda said, trying to sound strong, but on the inside she was scared.

“I can’t let you,” Vision said strongly, still holding Clint. Wanda moved her hands apart, the glowing red ball floated in the middle. Vision’s body started glowing a deep shade of red, as his hold on Clint weakened, and Clint’s body slipped through Vision’s.

“I’m sorry.” Vision’s body then solidified, Wanda’s magic weighing him down. He slowly was brought to his knees.

“If you do this…they will never stop being afraid of you.” His weight now pressed into the floor, denting and breaking the tiles. Wanda’s magic still pressed down on him. Her face twisted in agony as she put all she had into her powers.

“I can’t control their fear, only my own.” Wanda stepped closer to Vision and gave her magic one final push, sending Vision straight through the floor and several floors beneath, descending through the compound. Wanda relaxed slightly, feeling a little bit of a headache start to form. She looked down at the many holes she made, Clint joining her.

“Oh…Come on. We got one more stop.” He grabbed her hand and gently led her out of the compound and into a grey van. Wanda tilted her head in confusion, having never seen the archer drive a van.

“What’s this?” she asked, her Sokovian accent poking through just a little bit. Clint smiled as he opened the driver’s seat and got in.

“It’s our ride. Hop in.” Wanda reluctantly got into the passenger seat, propping her feet on the dashboard.

“Okay. Where to now?” Clint smirked at her but didn’t answer. “Fine, don’t tell me.”

“I’ll tell you, once you tell me what happened between you and Jemma.” Wanda stiffened and looked out her window, suddenly feeling quiet.

“I don’t really want to talk about, Clint.” Clint could hear the change in her voice and the little sniffle she let out. He sighed sympathetically and looked over at Wanda. He noticed her bring a hand up to her face and wipe away a tear.

“Come on, Wanda. Tell me what happened. Did you two get into a fight?” He knew she didn’t want to talk about it, so he hoped that if he guessed it, she’d open up. Wanda shook her head.

“Not exactly.”

“Well, then, what? I’m not gonna leave it alone. She said that when she woke up you were gone; no note, no phone call, nothing. She said she tried texting you and calling you and you never answered. Then she said she tried calling Steve, but he wasn’t answering…and I started to get worried listening to her.” Clint sighed as he ran a hand through his hair roughly. He was getting upset. “I thought something happened to you. I was freaking out the whole time I was driving to the compound. I kept thinking, ‘She’s gotta be here, she’s gotta be here. What if she’s not here?’ How did you even get to the compound?” Wanda turned her head and stared out the windshield.

“I took a cab.”

“You…you took a cab. What time did you leave?”

“I don’t know. It was around four in the morning. I got to the compound close to five.” Clint was silent for a few minutes, processing the information, before he spoke again. He was frustrated, angry, and worried, and he tried not to yell at Wanda.

“You can’t just run away in the middle of the night, Wanda. Anything could’ve happened to you. Do you realize that? Do you realize that literally _anything _could’ve happened to you? You could’ve been hurt or worse.” Clint shook his head, ridding the thoughts of Wanda being hurt or killed or worse in the streets of New York. “Help…help me understand, Wanda. Help me understand why you did it. What were you even thinking?” He tried to calm down. He knew how Wanda worked; she didn’t do anything without a good reason and yelling at her was the surest way of making her clam up.

“I…I found out that Jemma blames me for what happened with Lily.” Wanda looked down at the floormats of the car. She tugged on her sleeves again, hiding her hands, and played with her many rings. Clint looked over at her quickly before looking back to the road.

“What do you mean she blames you? Jemma never once blamed you. She told you that, many times. Where did you get that idea?”

“…I looked into her head—”

“What did I tell you about doing that?” Clint asked sternly, scolding her like she was a child and he was her father.

“I’m sorry. It’s…just she was having a nightmare, and I thought that if I saw what it was, then I could help her. But…when I looked into her head and saw it, I knew the truth, so I had to leave.”

“And what was this ‘truth’? What did you see?” Wanda took a deep breath, preparing to tell Clint what she saw.

“First I saw Sokovia, after Ultron. It was destroyed. There was no one around, except for one person. Then the scene changed and I was in the apartment. I went to Jemma’s room and I found her and Lily together, and they looked so…happy. _Jemma _looked so happy. I’ve _never_ seen her as happy as I did then. She and Lily were talking and laughing, and then…” she paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Clint glanced over at her, checking to see if she was okay. He knew she was prone to panic attacks, and he was ready to pull over at a moment’s notice. “Then, the ceiling of the apartment started to crumble and fall, like the building in Sokovia. Lily pushed Jemma out of the way, and she was crushed. Then, I guess I caused it because I appeared in the room with glowing red eyes and my magic twirling around my hands. I…I told Jemma it was her fault this happened, and she said it was mine. She blamed me. She…blamed…me.”

“Just because it happened in a dream, doesn’t mean that that’s how she really feels,” Clint said gently. He pulled the van over and turned in his seat to face Wanda. Placing a comforting hand on her upright knee, Clint gave her a soft look. “She doesn’t blame you, Wanda. Jemma’s still hurting, and she’ll be hurting for a long time. And while I’m sure it may hurt her to see you at times, I know for a fact that she does not blame you. No one blames you for what happened, okay. No one. The only that blames you, _is _you. If you keep holding onto this hurt, you’ll never heal. You need to let go, Wanda. It’s the only way you’ll get better.” Clint looked Wanda in the eyes before leaning over and bringing her into his arms. After a few minutes of holding the young girl, Clint pulled away and the two of them continued on their way to their next stop.


	17. Leipzig, Germany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint, Wanda, and new-comer Scott Lang meet up with Steve in Germany and the Civil War breaks out.

Clint drove the van (not the same van, which greatly upset Clint as he liked the first van) into the parking garage of the Leipzig/Halle airport, pulling into a spot. Once the car was parked and Clint shut it down, Wanda moved to open her door, but Clint’s voice stopped her.

“Not yet,” he said staring straight ahead. Wanda looked at him, questioning him, but ultimately listened to him. She moved her hand away from the handle and placed it in her lap. She leaned her head back against the seat and lifted her legs up onto the dashboard. Sighing, she closed her eyes, hoping to catch at least a few minutes sleep. She had trouble sleeping on the way because their next stop, a man by the name of Scott Lang, kept wanting to talk to either of them, gushing about how excited he was to be of service to Captain America. Now that he was asleep, Wanda thought maybe she could sleep too, but Scott had over plans. His snoring bounced off the walls of the van, keeping Wanda from concentrating on resting. Clint could feel her frustration and laughed a little.

“I told you to sleep before we picked him up,” he said, mocking her playfully. She shot him a glare but didn’t reply to his taunt.

“So, what’s the plan?” Wanda rolled her head over to look at Clint and he met her gaze.

“Cap said he had to go to Siberia. He figured Tony would try to stop him from escaping with Barnes, so he recruited us. That’s all he told me, and frankly, that’s all I need.” Wanda nodded and turned back to stare in front of her, overlooking the airport.

“Thank you, for coming to get me,” Wanda said quietly. Clint looked over to glance at her before looking straight.

“Yeah, of course.” They were silent for a few moments. “You know, I missed you, kid.” Wanda reached over and grabbed his hand, giving him a little squeeze and a small smile.

“I missed you, too.”

After about thirty minutes, Clint and Wanda noticed a small blue car driving onto the 6th level of the parking garage. The little car pulled up next to the van and parked. Steve opened his door and got out and Clint and Wanda followed. Clint walked around the van and stood in front of Steve, taking a step towards him. Wanda stood behind him, closer to the van.

“Cap,” Clint said greeting the Captain. Steve looked at him apologetically.

“You know I wouldn’t have called if I had any other choice.”

“Hey man, you’re doing me a favor,” Clint said shrugging. “Besides, I owe a debt.” Clint turned and gestured to Wanda. Steve looked past him to look at her. He looked happy to see her. Steve always did have a soft spot for Wanda. As the three of them stood there, Sam, Bucky, and an unknown woman climbed out of the little car.

“Jesus Christ, could you have chosen a worse ride?” the woman asked Steve, though he ignored her. Wanda smiled at her as she stretched. The woman looked about her height with bright red hair that was tied in a high ponytail, but Wanda could see the very loose curls, and intriguing purple eyes. She was dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, a black leather jacket, and black sneakers.

“Thanks for having my back,” Steve said sincerely to Wanda. She smiled at him and tilted her head.

“It was time to get off my ass.”

“How about our new recruit?” Clint walked to the side door of the van and pulled it open.

“He’s rarin’ to go. Had to put a little coffee in him, but…he should be good. What about yours?” Steve turned to look at the unknown woman before turning back to Clint giving him a smile. 

“She’s excited. Hasn’t stopped talking since we picked her up.”

“Same with him,” Wanda said, pointing at Scott as he woke up and stepped out of the van, blinking fast. His mouth hung open in surprise as he saw Steve standing in front of him. Stumbling over to him, Scott held out his hand to Steve and he took it, shaking.

“Captain America,” he said, mouth still hung agape. Steve smiled slightly.

“Mr. Lang.”

“It's an honor. I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow! This is awesome! Captain America.” He looked at Wanda and gave her a thumbs up. “I know you, too. You're great!” He turned back and felt Steve's shoulders. “Jeez. Ah, look, I wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so… Thinks for thanking of me. Hey, man!” Scott looked next to Steve and noticed Sam. Sam gave him a look.

“What's up, Tic Tac?” he asked.

“Uh, good to see you. Look, what happened last time when I…” Sam cut him off before he could finish.

“It was a great audition, but it’ll…it’ll never happen again.”

“They tell you what we’re up against?” Steve asked, cutting back in. Scott looked away from Sam and looked at Steve.

“Something about…psycho-assassins?”

“We’re outside the law on this one. So, if you come with us, you’re a wanted man,” Steve warned. He hated bringing an innocent person into his fight. Scott just shrugged.

“Yeah, well, what else is new?” Wanda stared curiously at the unknown woman that stood beside Bucky, admiring and poking his metal arm, and before anyone could say anything else, Wanda spoke up, asking the most pressing question on her mind.

“Good, now that we’re all set, would someone be so kind as to tell me who that is?” The woman looked up and over at Wanda, giving her a look that Wanda couldn’t figure out. Steve turned and looked at her, motioning to introduce herself. Wanda raised an eyebrow at her as she waited. Bucky placed his metal hand gently on her shoulder.

“Go on, make friends,” he said jokingly. The woman walked toward Wanda, never taking her eyes off the brunette. Her bright red hair glistened in the sun that peaked into the garage.

“I’m Claire Stowell and I’m a shapeshifter.”

“I’m—” she cut Wanda off.

“I know who you are,” she said before shaking her hand and walking back to Bucky. Bucky wrapped an arm around her and held her in a protected stance.

“After I escaped from HYDRA and started living off the grid, I ran into Claire. She made sure I safe and taken care of, and she later became my roommate—” Claire smacked Bucky in his chest lightly as he laughed.

“You’re making it sound like we have something going on,” she said, still eyeing Wanda. Wanda narrowed her eyes, feeling like they were leaving something out, but didn’t bring it up. She fought the urge to dig inside her head for the answer.

“So what can you change into?” Clint asked. Claire turned her eyes away from Wanda and looked at Clint, giving a sly smile. Her purple eyes seemed to glow brighter.

“Any damn thing I want.”

“We should get moving,” Bucky said as he looked around the parking garage, feeling uncomfortable out in the open.

“We got a chopper lined up,” Clint said. The team froze as a male voice came over the airport PA system.

_“Dies ist eine Notsituation. Alle Passagiere müssen den Flughafen sofort evakuieren. (This is an emergency. All passengers must evacuate the airport immediately.)”_

“They’re evacuating the airport,” Bucky said pulling Claire close to him.

“Stark,” Sam said.

“Stark?” Scott asked confusion spread on his face.

“Suit up,” Steve directed his team.

○○○

Wanda stood with Clint and Claire in the parking deck, in uniform, comms in ears, and waiting for Cap’s orders. She watched Steve run out towards a chopper, before it was shot with an electric destabilizer. Tony and Rhodey swooped down and landed in front of Steve.

“Wow, it’s so weird how you run into people at the airport. Don’t you think that’s weird?” Tony asked looking at Rhodey.

“Definitely weird,” Rhodey replied.

“Hear me out, Tony. That doctor, the psychiatrist, he’s behind all of this,” Steve said, trying to reason. A man in a black cat suit who Wanda didn’t recognize jumped down from a truck, standing next to Steve. Steve looked at him.

“Captain,” the man said.

“Your highness,” Steve replied, nodding with respect.

“Anyway, Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in. That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?” Tony asked, lifting the Iron Man mask to reveal his face.

“You’re after the wrong guy,” Steve said. Tony frowned.

“Your judgement is askew. Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday.”

“And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can’t let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can’t,” Steve said. Natasha stepped up into Steve’s line of vision.

“Steve…you know what’s about to happen. Do you really want to punch your way out of this one?” she asked the super soldier, hoping to avoid a fight. Before Steve could answer, Tony interrupted.

“All right, I’ve run out of patience. Underoos!” Suddenly, Steve’s hands were bound, and a figure dressed in red flipped into the scene, stealing Steve’s shield and landing on a truck. “Nice job, kid.”

“Thanks. Well, I could’ve stuck the landing a little better. It’s just the new suit…Well, it’s nothing, Mr. Stark. It’s-it’s perfect. Thank you,” the newcomer said.

“Who is that?” Claire asked, staring at the figure. Wanda and Clint shrugged in response, not having an answer for her.

“You’ve been busy,” Steve said back to Tony. Tony looked at Steve, eyebrows furrowed and a frown in place.

“And you’ve been a complete idiot. Dragging in Clint. ‘Rescuing’ Wanda from a place she doesn’t even want to leave, a safe place,” Wanda flinched at Tony’s words. The compound and Jemma’s apartment might’ve been safe, but she _definitely_ didn’t want to be cooped up there all day every day. “I’m trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart.”

“You did that when you signed,” Steve sighed.

“Alright, we’re done. You’re gonna turn Barnes over, you’re gonna come with us. Now! Because it’s us! Or a squad of J-SOC guys…with no compunction about being impolite. Come on.” Wanda heard Claire let out a low growl at the mention of Bucky being arrested. Her eyes glowed brighter, turning to a lavender color.

_“We found it. Their Quinjet’s in hanger five, north runway,”_ Sam’s voice floods their comms. Clint extended his bow and reached behind to his quiver, grabbing an arrow. Loading up his bow, he watched, waiting for the signal. Steve raised his bound hands, and Clint stood and fired the arrow, cutting through the webbing. The three then took off running towards the Quinjet.

_“Alright, Lang,” _Steve said into the comms.

“Hey, guys, something…” Peter was cut off by Scott’s suit enlarging, knocking him off balance. Scott took back the shield, and returned to Steve, handing it to him.

“I believe this is yours, Captain America,” he said.

“Alright, there’s three on the parking deck. One of them’s Maximoff, I’m gonna go garb her. Rhodey, you want to take Cap?” Tony asked as he took off.

“Got two in the terminal, Wilson and Barnes,” Rhodey said. T’Challa snapped his head and started to run in the direction of the terminal.

“Barnes is mine!” he exclaimed. Steve ran after him and blocked his path.

Wanda, Clint, and Claire continued to run towards the Quinjet, but stopped at the sound of Tony’s suit hovering in the air. Tony turned his metal head towards Wanda and the glowing eyes burned through her.

“Wanda, I think you hurt Vision’s feelings.” Wanda felt guilty for what she did to Vision, but right now she only felt angry at Tony. She sent him a glare.

“You locked me in my room.”

“Okay. First, that’s an exaggeration. Second, I did it to protect you.” Wanda scoffed at his words. She had heard that lie before and she wasn’t going to be lied to again. Claire looked over at her, her eyes were brighter than before.

“Are you okay?” Wanda whispered to the young woman with concern. Claire nodded her head.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be okay?” she asked. Her eyes were now a bright purple and her fingernails looked longer. Wanda didn’t answer and turned her attention back to Tony.

“Clearly, retirement doesn’t suit you,” Tony said to Clint. “You got tired of shooting golf?” Clint shrugged, still holding his bow with an arrowed docked.

“Well, I played 18, I shot 18. Just can’t seem to miss.” He fired his arrow at Tony, but the Iron Man was ready for him and deflected.

“First time for everything,” he said mocking Clint. Clint only smirked at him.

“Made you look.” Before Tony could respond, a car from the top floors of the parking deck slammed past Tony. He looked up as dozens of cars came crashing down. Wanda stood, flailing her arms quickly as she pulled each car with her magic. She didn’t stop until Tony was buried under a pile of cars. The three then took off running again, before Claire stopped.

“What is it?” Wanda asked her, jogging back to her. Claire looked back at one of the terminals, almost as if she wasn’t paying attention. Suddenly, she snapped her head back to look at Wanda.

“You guys keep running. I’m gonna go help Bucky,” she said, turning to leave.

“How are you going to help him?” Wanda’s Sokovian voice asked her. Claire turned around and gave her a big grin, and Wanda was surprised when she saw a set of fangs.

“I told you,” the shape shifter said. “I’m a shape shifter.” And before Wanda’s eyes, the young woman transformed into a wolf. Standing on all fours, she was the height of Wanda, and her eyes burned a light lavender. Her fur was a deep black, a contrast to her shining red hair. Claire looked at Wanda and tilted her head, as if to tell her to run, before running in the opposite direction, towards the terminal.

“Don’t kill anyone!” Clint shouted as he grabbed Wanda’s arm and pulled her along.

Claire ran into the terminal, bursting through the metal walls, and scanned the area for Bucky. She immediately saw him standing behind a pillar, catching his breath. His blue eyes soon found hers, right as Peter threw a something big at Bucky. It crashed through the pillar, coming really close to hitting Bucky. Claire let out a loud growl as she charged at Peter, but before she could get to him, Sam flew in and kicked him off the beam. Peter fired a web at Sam, causing him to crash to the floor, but Sam quickly stands. Peter shot another web at Sam’s hand, sticking him to the balcony.

“Those wings carbon fiber?” he asked Sam as he sat and looked at him. Claire took her shot, running at the young fighter.

“Is this stuff coming out of you?” Sam asked as he inspected the webbing. Peter ignored him.

“That would explain the rigidity-flexibility ratio, which, gotta say, that’s awesome, man.” Claire continued to run down the terminal. Peter had yet to notice her, but Sam did.

“I don’t know if you’ve been in a fight before but there’s usually not this much talking,” Sam fired at him, getting annoyed.

“Alright, sorry, my bad.” He swung down from his perch. Bucky ran in between him and Sam, attempting to block Sam, but Peter knocked them both down onto the floor below them and Peter webbed them both. “Guys, look. I’d love to keep this up but I’ve only got one job here today and I gotta impress Mr. Stark, so, I’m really sorry.” Before Peter could do anything, Claire pounced on him. Peter quickly rebounded and turned sharply getting a good look at Claire’s wolf.

“Oh, yeah, you’re in trouble now!” Bucky shouted from the floor as he looked over his shoulder at Claire. “Don’t hurt him too bad, Claire.” 

“Oh, hey. You’re a wolf,” Peter said with fear. Claire only growled, baring her fangs. “Good wolfy, good girl.” Claire stalked towards Peter before breaking off into the full sprint. Peter jumped up, dodging her, and shot a web at her back. Claire let out a little yelp at the sudden pain but turned around and jumped at Peter. He shot a web at one of the beams on the ceiling and swung down, kicking Claire in her jaw. She fell back with a hard thud, but reached her paw up, swiping her claws at Peter’s body, catching his side. He hissed in pain as he landed on another beam and inspected the wound. Her claws had cut through his suit, getting his skin. Blood was pouring from the wound, but it wasn’t deep. Before he could retaliate, Redwing flew in and latched onto Peter’s arms, dragging him out of the terminal with a scream.

“You couldn’t have done that earlier?” Bucky asked as they both still sat stuck to the floor.

“I hate you,” Sam muttered with disdain. Claire trotted over and used her claws to cut Bucky and Sam out of the webbing before shifting back to her normal self.

“You boys need to knock it off. I had a whole car ride of your bickering,” she whined as Bucky embraced her.

“How are you?” he asked as he inspected the growing bruise on her jaw. _That kid really did a number on me. _

“I’m fine,” she assured him. She, Bucky, and Sam made their way out of the terminal and back outside, running into Steve. The four of them ran, soon catching up to Wanda and Clint.

Wanda and Clint kept running, spotting the Quinjet in the distance.

“There’s our ride,” he said to Wanda as the rest of “Team Captain America” ran for the Quinjet.

“Come on!” Steve yelled as he led the charge. They didn’t get far as a fizzing stream of energy sliced through the runway, stopping the team. They all looked up as Vision slowly descended but still hovered above the ground.

“Captain Rogers. I know you believe what you’re doing is right. But for the collective good you must surrender now,” Vision said pleading with the Captain as Tony’s team arrived, forming a line blocking Steve and his team from reaching the Quinjet.

Steve’s team stood still, unsure how to proceed. Wanda tried to catch her breath as she looked over at Claire, taking notice of her giant bruise.

“What do we do, Cap?” Sam asked looking for direction. Steve stared ahead beyond Tony.

“We fight.”

“This is gonna end well,” Natasha muttered sarcastically as both teams walked towards each other with determination etched on all of their faces. Everyone soon broke out into a sprint before colliding with each other. Steve blocked a punch as Iron Man landed. Clint fired an arrow at Vision. Rhodey flew after Falcon and Claire shifted back into her wolf and chased after them. Bucky traded blows with T'Challa. An explosive arrow hit Iron Man. Natasha threw Scott, as Peter swung through the air, struggling to evade vehicles projected by Wanda. Bucky landed punches on T'Challa while Clint and Natasha battle with batons. Clint pinned her down with his bow.

“We’re still friends, right?” Natasha asked the archer as he pinned her down. Clint smiled at her.

“Depends on how hard you hit me.” Natasha quickly got out of his hold, spinning him with her legs. As she’s about to kick him in the head, her foot stopped and glowed bright red. Natasha snapped her head to the right, seeing Wanda, before she threw the redhead into a truck. Natasha groaned as she hit her head and rolled onto her back. Clint looked over at Wanda surprised.

“You were pulling your punches.” Clint nodded at her sheepishly as he got up and followed her. Wanda looked to her left, seeing Bucky’s altercation with T’Challa and ran over to him. T’Challa had him pinned to a truck; his claws ready to pierce Bucky’s neck. Before he could move, Wanda’s magic stopped his hand, and then with a wave of her hand, Wanda yanked T’Challa away, crashing into a passenger gangway. Bucky gave her a nod of thanks as he ran off to find Claire who was busy trying not to get stuck with anymore of Peter’s webs.

Bucky caught up with Steve and Claire who had shifted back as they sat behind a gangway. They were both slightly out of breath when Bucky sat beside them, looking over at the hanger that kept the Quinjet. It wasn’t that far, but there was no way they could make it.

“We gotta go,” Bucky said to Steve, gaining his and Claire’s attention. “That guy’s probably in Siberia by now.”

“We gotta draw out the flyers. I’ll take Vision. You get to the jet.”

_“No, you get to the jet! Both of you!,” _Sam said as his voice cut through the comms. _“The rest of us aren’t getting out of here.”_

_“As much as I hate to admit it,” _Clint said. _“If we’re gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it.” _

_“This isn’t the real fight, Steve.”_

“Alright, Sam, what’s the play?” Steve asked.

_“We need a diversion, something big.”_

_“I got something kind of big, but I can’t hold it very long,” _Scott said. _“On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half…don’t come back for me.” _Bucky looked at Claire with and eyebrow raised in confusion.

“He’s gonna tear himself in half?”

“I don’t know man, don’t look at me. I’m not the one who recruited him,” Claire said raising her hands in defense. The three could hear Scott muttering encouraging words to himself, as they looked out at the runway, seeing Scott grow a couple stories high, holding onto to Rhodey’s leg before throwing him.

“I guess that’s the signal,” Steve said as he ushered the three from behind the gangway, taking off towards the Quinjet.

_“Way to go, Tic Tac!” _Sam yelled happily through the comms.

The three continued running, almost making it, when a yellow beam fired in front of them, hitting the control tower, knocking it down. Steve slowed down until he saw the familiar red mist catch the tower, slowing its descent. He turned around, and seeing Wanda struggle with the weight, he picked up his pace, urging Bucky and Claire to do the same. They ran faster, almost reaching the hanger when they heard a loud scream. Stopping, Claire turned and saw Wanda kneeling with her hands to her ears and her head hanging low. The mist holding the tower disappeared and it fell faster, starting to block their path.

“Claire! Come on, we gotta move!” Bucky shouted at her.

“You guys go on without me! Go!” she yelled back, looking at Bucky before running towards Wanda. Bucky and Steve kept running, making it inside the hanger before the tower fell. Claire ran up to Wanda and laid the brunette’s head in her lap.

“Are you okay?” she asked, brushing Wanda’s hair from her face.

“Yeah,” Wanda replied, taking deep breaths. “I’m fine.” She felt her cheeks heat up at the close contact between her and Claire.

“I’m sorry,” Claire whispered, turning away from her.

“For what?”

“I feel like I should’ve stayed with you; protected you.” Wanda let out a little laugh.

“You don’t need to be sorry. I can protect myself.” Wanda laid in Claire’s lap for several minutes, trying to steady her mind and slow her breathing. She looked up into the sky, seeing the Quinjet fly away from the airport, before shutting her eyes. She could still feel the ringing of Rhodey’s sonic cannon in her ears, bouncing around in her brain, creating a massive headache. She didn’t know how long she had been laying on the runway, but she opened her eyes once more, looking at Vision as he descended over to her. Claire let out a little growl, but Wanda laid her hand on top of hers, stopping her.

Vision kneeled beside Wanda and took her hand, looking at her with sympathy and sadness.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Me, too,” she panted.

“It’s as I said. Catastrophe.” Wanda closed her eyes again, her head pounding, but a faint voice broke through her mind.

_“Vision, I got a bandit on my six. Vision! You copy? Target his thrusters, turn him into a glider,” _the voice of Rhodey pierced the air as Vision turned and targeted his blast at Sam. Claire, seeing who he was aiming for jumped into action.

“No! You’ll kill him!” she yelled as she pounced on Vision, causing him to alter the trajectory of the blast, hitting Rhodey instead of Sam. Vision immediately took off, flying after the Quinjet.


	18. Criminals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle ends and Team Cap gets sent to the Raft

Wanda and Claire sat on the runway for a little while longer. Claire watched Wanda with concern as the brunette sat up and laid her head on her knees, eyes shut tight. Wanda’s breathing was slower, but still came out in small pants. Claire became uncomfortable and shifted, unsure of what she could do to help. Despite helping Bucky with his nightmares and other various things, she wasn’t very good at comforting people. In fact, Claire often thought that she really did nothing for Bucky, and that he was just being nice as to not hurt her feelings. She looked at Wanda from the corner of her purple eyes, her red hair blocking her vision.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Claire couldn’t help the need to look after and protect Wanda. It was like there was something about her that attracted her; pulling them close to each other like a magnet. Wanda didn’t move from her position.

“I’m fine,” her Sokovian accented voice said, muffled by the fabric of her pants.

“You don’t look okay,” Claire said, trying to get the Sokovian to talk, hoping that it might do her some good. Wanda lifted her head from her knees and opened her eyes, looking at Claire. She winced and hissed in pain as her eyes connected with the sunlight. “Wanda, seriously, are you sure you’re okay? And be honest.”

“I am fine. Just have a headache.” She stood up and Claire followed after her. They were pretty much alone, with a few other familiar people scattered across the runway, but there wasn’t much else, except for the broken pieces of airport property.

“What do we do now?” Claire asked as she looked around, surveying the damage. Wanda shrugged her shoulders looking in the direction that Vision flew off in. He had yet to return.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. Then, raising her finger and pointing in the direction that she was looking in continued. “What’s that over there?” Claire followed Wanda’s finger and watched as something flew closer to the airport.

“I don’t know what that is,” she said starting to get uneasy.

_“Hello? Does anyone copy?” _Sam said through the comms. Claire placed a finger on her communication device, still staring at the flying figure.

“Sam? We copy. What’s happening?”

_“Rhodey’s been hit. Black vans are on their way to the airport; armed men. Looks like Stark called us in. Get the team, we need to go. I’m on my way back.”_

“Roger that,” Claire said before turning back to Wanda. “We need to go.”

“How? Steve took the Quinjet.”

“I don’t know, but we can’t be here. Stark tipped us off and Ross is coming for us. We need to leave.”

The two women ran across the runway, gathering fugitives as they went. Wanda’s heart pounded as she pushed herself to run faster. She didn’t want to get caught, she didn’t want to be arrested, she didn’t want to be locked up; not again. The black vans started pulling onto the runway, gaining on the ex-Avengers.

Armed men dressed in full black body armor stepped out from the vans, running after the small team. Clint watched as the men started raising their weapons, ready to fire at them, and moved to block Wanda from their sights. Claire stood beside her, looking around frantically for an escape, her eyes glowing brighter. Her wolf pushed against its mental cage, begging her to let it out, but Claire kept her grip.

“Get down on your knees! Get down now!” the men started screaming at them as they closed in. One by one, each member of Team Cap lowered themselves to the concrete of the runway. Clint grabbed Wanda’s hand holding up his empty one, signaling to the men not to fire, and lowered her down with him. Wanda shook with fear, and Claire grabbed her other hand to calm her. The men ran over to them and roughly started to apprehend them, forcefully pushing them closer to the ground and pinning their arms behind their backs.

Clint’s hand was ripped from Wanda’s as one man shoved her away from the group and kicked her to the ground before jumping on top of her, trying to force her arms into a straitjacket. Wanda let out several cries of pain as the man’s knee dug into her back between her shoulder blades, and then again in her lower back.

Claire’s breathing hitched and became heavy as her eyes glowed that same shade of lavender. She fought hard against her wolf, but her wolf was stronger. Black fur started to sprout on her skin and her claws started to extend. She stood from the ground as her bones started shifting, the cracking sound of breaking bones echoed through the airport. A giant mass of black fur took the place of Claire’s body.

She let out a loud growl that bounced off the surfaces of the airport. The men stopped and looked at her as she leaped from her spot by her team and started taking out the men as she made her way over to Wanda. Her sharp fangs ripped into their body armor effortlessly, leaving them in pain and bleeding on the ground. She was closing in on Wanda, her jaw snapping as she growled and roared at her enemy.

Wanda could do nothing but watch as the man sitting on top of her, switched his weapon, raised it, and aimed the barrel at Claire. She rolled over in an attempt to help Claire and knocked the man off her. Stumbling to her feet, Wanda stood up and removed her straitjacket. She waved her arms, red mist circling them, ready to fight him, before she felt a sharp pain in her thigh. Looking down, Wanda saw tranquilizer dart sticking out. Looking back at the man, she went to run at him, but the sedative was already making its way through her body, and before she had even moved her foot, she collapsed onto the ground, knocked out. The man looked over at Claire’s wolf, still bounding towards them and raised his gun at her. He fired three darts into her body, before she too felt woozy. Claire tripped over her feet and tumbled to the ground as she slept. The straitjacket was forced onto Wanda’s sleeping body and they placed a muzzle around Claire’s mouth and bound her paws together to keep her from getting out. The rest of the team was handcuffed and led to the vans.

○○○

The lights were bright and a loud noise shocked Wanda out of her sleep. Her eyes flew open, and she deeply regretted it when the bright white lights of her cell blinded her. She could feel the pounding headache she had and her thigh ached from where she was shot. Panic rose in her when she tried to move her arms, only to find them bound to her in the straitjacket. Her heart rate sped up and her breathing quickened as she tried to shake it loose. She could feel the tears form in her eyes and the sob build up in her throat. Suddenly, a sharp burning pain flooded her body, originating from her neck. She let out a little cry at the sudden pain, gaining the attention of the person in the next cell.

Claire picked her head up off the reinforced glass and looked behind her at the sound of a cry. Her eyes widened as she saw what they had done to Wanda. The last she saw her; it was just the straitjacket, but now they added a shock collar. _Those fucking monsters! Who do they think they are! They can’t do this; we’re people!_

Claire looked at her own hands, bounded together in special cuffs and shackles designed to keep her from shifting in frustration. The muzzle they put on her earlier was still in place, though there was more room for her to move her mouth since it was placed on her wolf’s snout. She looked back over at Wanda and softened her gaze as she looked at the young woman still in pain.

“Wanda? Wanda, can you hear me?” she asked. Though her voice was muffled, she knew Wanda heard her. The brunette lifted her head and looked straight ahead, locking eyes with Claire. Tears streamed down Wanda’s face as memories from her childhood flooded her mind. She pushed herself closer to the wall, hoping to escape the memory of being stuck under her bed with Pietro and a bomb three feet from her face. Opening her mouth to speak, Claire’s voice stopped her. “No! Don’t speak, Wanda.”

Wanda nodded her head and opened her mind to Claire.

_“I’m scared, Claire,” _Wanda said through their mental connection. Claire’s eyes softened as she looked at her.

“I know, Wanda. I know, but it’s gonna be okay. Trust me, okay?”

_“Okay. Are you okay?”_

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Claire lied. Her head was killing her and the shackles were too tight. She could feel the cuffs cutting into her wrists while simultaneously cutting off the circulation to her fingers. Each finger ached to be moved, but those _fuckers_ made sure to not leave her any room. Clair could feel Wanda’s eyes burning into her, probably reading her mind, though she was quiet for a while.

_“Thank you…for trying to save me.”_

“You don’t have to thank me. I would’ve done it for anyone. They shouldn’t have touched you like that. They clearly singled you out.” Claire felt herself getting angry again.

_“Still…” _The two were silent again for a few more minutes before Claire spoke up.

“I bet this all seems familiar, doesn’t it?”

_“Familiar how?”_

“You know…” Wanda sighed a little, trying not to set off the collar.

_“Yeah, I guess I do. It’s not the good kind of familiar.”_

“It never is.”

_“Where are the others?”_

“I think they’re on another floor with different cells. These were made specially for people like us.”

_“What? Freaks? Monsters?”_

“No. Enhanced. Special. Different.”

_“There’s nothing special about me,” _Wanda scoffed. _“I’m a monster.” _Claire sent a humorless laugh through her cell and turned away from Wanda.

“Honey, if anyone of us here is a monster, it ain’t you. Remember, I’m the one that turns into a literal beast.”

_“That doesn’t make you a monster…” _Wanda said sympathetically.

“Then, enlighten me. What does make a monster?” Claire didn’t know why, but she felt herself annoyed and angry, and she accidentally let her tone slip in her words. Wanda stared blankly, not knowing how to answer Claire’s question. She heard the frustration and tone shift when Claire shot the words back at her, and it caught her off guard. Wanda didn’t answer; she didn’t know how to. Claire took her silence as a defeat and turned away from her, leaning her head on the glass. Wanda rested on her small cot and stared at the back of Claire’s head.

The silence tortured Wanda. She needed noise, any kind of noise to distract her from her own thoughts.

_“So…how did you know Bucky?” _she asked, trying to fill the silence rather than trying to start a conversation. Claire turned back around and looked at her with a sad look in her eye.

“It’s a long story,” she said looking at her lap. She heard Wanda chuckle through their link.

_“Well, don’t worry about that. We’ve got the time.”_ Claire also chuckled a little, still looking at her lap before sighing and looking back at Wanda.

“It was last year; I was living in this crappy apartment. One night…on my way back there, I was followed by a couple of guys who were obviously drunk. I tried to ignore them, thinking that maybe they weren’t following me, but just heading in the same direction, but when they split up and cut me off, I started to panic. I still hadn’t controlled my powers so I refrained from tearing them apart, but before anything could happen, Bucky came up from behind me and beat them up.” Claire paused, smiling a little at the memory of Bucky saving her.

“Afterwards, I tried to forget the encounter, but something was nagging at me. I didn’t know at the time that the Winter Soldier saved my life, but something in me was telling me to dig into this. After a while of researching, I discovered who my white knight was, and I tracked him down to his apartment.” Wanda gave a little laugh through their connection and Claire laughed too. “Creepy, I know, but…I needed to see him. And after meeting him, I couldn’t just leave him alone, so I started to check up on him, making sure he was okay, helping him with his memories, and…we became friends. He was…the one person in my life that I could trust, and after some bad shit that happened in my life, Bucky was there to help me pick up the pieces. I owe him everything, and I’ve been with him ever since.”

Wanda soaked up her words, giving her a small smile at such a pure friendship. It reminded her of her friendship with Jemma; how Jemma was always there for Wanda whenever she was suffering from a nightmare, or whenever she deemed herself unworthy of Jemma’s love and affection and comfort; whenever she hated herself for what she was and what she did. Wanda’s smile faded into a frown as she thought back to Jemma and how she left her without any notice; how Jemma tried contacting her, but Wanda ignored her tries, and now, when she wanted to talk to her more than anything, she couldn’t because she was locked up here. And she had no one to blame but herself.


	19. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Cap gets rescued from the Raft and Wanda connects deeper with Claire.

Wanda had lost all hope as she sat against the wall in her cell. She had lost track of the days, though she guessed she was only in there for about a week. It was hard to tell; there were no windows, and the guards that came and brought her food came at random hours (she suspected they were scared of her and Claire). Claire laid in her bed, in a peaceful sleep, but Wanda couldn’t sleep. She felt nothing; not hunger, not thirst, not exhaustion. She sat on her cot, against the bars that lined the walls of her cell, staring expressionless.

“Wanda, you need to go to sleep,” Claire said from her cot. She laid there still with her eyes closed and her right arm resting against her forehead and her left arm under her head and she sounded exhausted.

_“What do you mean?” _Wanda asked through their mind link, raising an eyebrow. Claire’s head rolled over and made eye contact with Wanda. Claire sighed before sitting up on her cot.

“What do I mean? You left the connection open, dummy,” she said with a laugh. “I can hear everything rattling around in there.” She lifted her cuffed hands as best she could and tapped the side of her head. Wanda’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she lowered her head down a little, as much as the shock collar would let her.

_“Did I wake you?” _the Sokovian asked still keeping her head down. Claire laughed at her behavior and shook her head.

“Kinda, but it’s not like I was really sleeping,” she said. “How are you? You doing okay?”

_“Yeah, I’m fine,”_ Wanda lied. Claire stared at her, not believing her words. Anyone who looked at her could see that Wanda was anything but fine. Her brown hair was greasy from not showering, her light skin was paler and her green eyes looked dull and didn’t have that familiar shine, and she had large dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. There was a set of bruises on different spots of her face (and she guessed there were some on the rest of her body, though she couldn’t see), some that were old and fading and some that were new and fresh. Claire’s heart broke as she stared at the broken girl in front of her. A tear slipped from her purple eyes as Claire laid her forehead against the wall that connected hers and Wanda’s.

“Wanda, please. Tell me the truth,” she said, a lump forming in her throat as the tears continued to fall. “You’re not fine. You’re not, so stop saying you are. You don’t have to lie to me, okay, now please tell me the truth.”

Wanda looked away from Claire’s harsh gaze. She knew that if she met her gaze, she too would start crying because Claire was right; she _wasn’t _fine.

“Wanda please, look at me.” Wanda lifted her red-rimmed green eyes back to Claire’s. “Look, I know everything seems…bleak and hopeless, but it’s not, alright? Everything is going to be okay. Just hang on.”

_“Hang on? Hang on. How am I supposed to hang on?” _Wanda’s voice started to rise and her brows furrowed. Her stomach let out a deep and painful rumble and Wanda doubled over in pain.

“Hey, you okay?” Claire asked with concern. Wanda forgot about the shock collar for a brief moment.

“Yeah, I’m…” she was cut off by a burning pain in her neck, causing her to scream out in pain. The louder she screamed, the more the pain stung. More tears fell down Claire’s face as she watched her new friend in pain. Wanda continued to scream, not bothering to bite her tongue. After a couple of minutes, Wanda stopped screaming and the pain subsided. She threw her head back against the wall and cried. Her quiet whimpers were the only sound to come out of that room.

Claire turned away, giving her privacy and also let her own tears fall without pity. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her knees and started to cry. After a minute, she stopped and picked her head up, breathing heavy. While she couldn’t see, she knew her eyes were glowing a light purple. _When I get out of here, you better wish I don’t find you, because I’m the last thing you’ll ever see. _

○○○

Hours passed—at least it felt like hours—before the two women heard the sound of fighting outside of their cells. Claire stood from her cot, and walked towards the door and looked out, trying to see what the commotion was. Wanda was confused; no alarm had been sounded, so there couldn’t be a breach, could there?

_“What’s going on? What can you see?” _Wanda asked through the link. Claire shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know, I can’t really see.”

Then, the door to the room they were locked in burst off its hinges. Claire let out a little scream at the sudden noise. A figure dressed in similar body armor as the guards of the prison walked into the room and walked towards their cells. Claire watched the figure, sending him an intense glare. The purple hue of her eyes glowed lighter and she could feel her claws extending in her cuffs, digging into her hands. The figure walked over to Wanda’s cell first and began to open it. Claire let out a loud growl of protection as the unknown man entered her cell.

“Get away from her, you son of a bitch!” she screamed as she banged on their shared wall. She was sick and tired of the guards coming in and beating Wanda, knowing she couldn’t fight back.

The man paused and looked at her, before he continued moving to Wanda. He stood before her and knelt down to become eye level with her. Claire continued to scream at the man, hearing her wolf scream at him too. Wanda stared at the man, afraid, but void of any expression; she was used to this by now. A small tear rolled down her cheek, as she closed her eyes, waiting for the impending pain. The man reached a hand up and wiped the tear away with his thumb, then reached behind his head and took off the helmet that he was wearing, revealing a head of familiar blonde hair.

Claire stopped screaming as she gazed at the back of Captain America’s head. He didn’t rise from his position, he stayed kneeling before Wanda. After wiping her tear away, he rested his warm hand against her pale face. He was careful not to touch any of her bruises. His eyes softened as he looked at her in horror, fighting hard to keep from crying at the sight of her condition.

“Oh, Wanda,” he whispered as he rubbed her cheek with his thumb, his voice wavering. “What have they done to you?”

Wanda couldn’t hold in her sobs anymore. She leaned forward and rested her head on Steve’s shoulder, letting her tears soak into his disguise. Steve brought both his arms up and wrapped them around her, rubbing her back.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” he whispered as he let her cry. He then propped her back up on her cot and examined the straitjacket and shock collar. “Alright, let’s get this off you. What should I start with?”

“Start with the shock collar,” Claire said from her cell. “If you even try to undo the straitjacket, it’ll shock her.” Wanda nodded, cautious of the collar. Steve took note of this and examined the collar more. He soon found the clasp to the collar and readied himself and Wanda before undoing it.

“Alright, Wanda,” Steve began, holding the clasp in his hands. “I’m gonna undo the clasp, which will probably cause it to emit a shock, so I’m going to need you to try to relax, I’m going to get it off as fast as I can, okay?” Wanda nodded her head, and Steve started undoing the clasp.

Once Wanda felt the collar loosen around her neck, Steve’s hands tugged it from her and threw it on the ground away from them. Wanda let out a shaky breath as she felt the pressure lifted off her throat. Steve immediately got to work on undoing the straitjacket. Wanda looked over towards Claire’s cell and saw that Clint, Sam, and Scott were also freed, with Clint working on unlocking Claire’s cell. Before long, the straitjacket was removed from Wanda’s body and Steve wrapped the blanket from her cot around her. Standing on shaky legs, Wanda embraced Steve tightly.

“Thank you,” she whispered to him, her voice raw and hoarse from not being used in so long. Steve patted her back and gave her a sympathetic look.

“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

“This isn’t your fault, Steve. I chose to follow you. If we hadn’t fought back, they would’ve done this to me anyway.”

Clint was now inside Claire’s cell, unlocking her cuffs. Her eyes were back to their normal color, and her claws retracted. Once she was free, she embraced Clint, and made her way to Wanda’s cell and embraced her tightly. She buried her face into Wanda’s hair and pulled the brunette closer to her, not wanting to let her go out of fear of losing her.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” she asked the Sokovian as she pulled away from their embrace, glancing at her body, looking for any sign of pain or damage; another excuse to kill everyone on this base. She saw the bruises on her face but paused when she noticed the large scar that ran around her neck, a permanent reminder of the shock collar. She felt herself grow angry. Wanda placed a hand on hers, taking Claire’s hand and softly rubbed her thumb across the top.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, looking into Claire’s glowing purple eyes.

“What did I say about lying?”

“I’m not lying,” Wanda said. “I promise I’m okay.”

“We need to go, before someone figures out we’re here,” Clint said, interrupting the moment. Steve nodded his head and looked at the two women.

“You guys good to run?” The two nodded and followed after Steve and the rest of the ex-Avengers.

The five of them stopped when they reached the door to the room with Steve looking out, checking both sides of the hall. Bodies of guards and agents laid in the hallway, alive but knocked out. Steve waved them on to follow him when he saw the coast was clear. The team followed him down the hall and up a set of stairs. Steve made sure they were quiet and didn’t lead them to any other guards. No alarms went off as the team made their escape. Wanda felt herself become winded but pressed on in fear of going back to her cell. Soon, they reached another set of stairs that led to a little door.

“Alright, through here,” Steve said as he waited at the bottom of the stairs, letting the team go ahead of him. Claire paused a bit and watched Steve. He placed his hand around a gun hidden in a black holster on his side. He looked back at her, briefly, before telling her to go. She turned around and ran up the stairs and out the door, meeting the rest of the team on the roof of the Raft. Steve joined them a minute later, slightly out of breath. Confused, the team stared out into the open ocean surrounding the floating prison. The raindrops pelted them and hit them harshly, soaking their clothes, as the ocean wind whipped past them. The waves below crashed and roared as the storm pushed and pulled them.

“What do we do now, Cap?” Sam asked as Steve stood next to him. Steve raised his hand to his ear before speaking.

“Romanoff, we’re on the roof. Do you copy?”

_“I copy. It’s good to see you guys,” _Natasha said into the comms as a Quinjet uncloaked and landed on the roof. The hatch opened, creating a ramp, and the team ran for the ship, boarding quickly. Once they were all on board, Natasha lifted the jet back into the air and reengaged the cloaking device, sending the Quinjet into stealth mode. Putting the jet on autopilot, Natasha stood from the pilot’s seat and walked towards the back of the ship. She walked over to Wanda and brought the young woman into her arms in a tight embrace.

“I’m so glad to see you,” she mumbled into the brunette’s hair. She pulled away and brought both of her hands to Wanda’s face and gazed into her eyes, examining what had been done to her. “Are you okay? What did they do to you?”

Wanda gave her a weak smile, tears glistened in her eyes. In the short time she had known Natasha, the Russian woman became a sort of mother figure to her, and she was honestly so happy to see her.

“I’m okay. Now,” she paused a minute “I don’t want to talk about it.” Natasha nodded in understanding and led her over to one of the seats lined up against the walls of the jet. Once her and Wanda were seated, Natasha pulled her back in for another hug. She felt the Sokovian’s tears soak into the fabric of her uniform’s shoulder as Wanda let out quiet sobs. Natasha just let her cry, running her hand up and down her arm, trying to soothe her.

Claire just stood off to the side, watching with curiosity, not quite trusting the redhead. She wasn’t as familiar with her as she was to Steve and Sam, and ever since the battle at the airport, she found it hard to trust her regardless if she helped them escape. She felt a connection to Wanda, a strange urge to protect her, and while she didn’t fully understand it, she was damn sure that she would do all she could to honor that urge.

Steve noticed her staring at Natasha and walked over to stand next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her gaze from the redhead and brunette to his blue eyes.

“Everything okay?” he asked her quietly. Claire turned back to the two women before looking back at him.

“It’s…it’s just…a week ago we were all fighting each other, and now…she’s here helping us escape from prison. I don’t get it.”

“Natasha’s a friend. We can trust her.”

“She sided with a man that helped throw us in prison; helped place that collar and jacket on Wanda. You may trust her, Rogers, but I don’t. Wanda may trust her, but I don’t. And I will do what I have to do to protect her. She’s been through enough,” Claire warned. Steve placed a hand on her shoulder before sighing.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” Steve said lowering his voice. Claire looked back at him, straightening her back and becoming rigid. Steve rubbed his face with his hand.

“Bucky went back under.”

“What do you mean ‘back under’? Where is he?” 

“He’s in Wakanda. He said he couldn’t trust himself with HYDRA still in his head, so he had scientists there place him back in a cryogenic sleep. He told me to tell you that he’s sorry he couldn’t say goodbye to you, but that he knows you’ll be okay.” Steve frowned as Claire’s resolve wavered in front of him. Her cheeks burned a light pink and her nostrils flared as she breathed hard to fight the tears that formed in her eyes.

“How…how could he just leave me? Without saying goodbye? After everything we’ve been through?”

“He needed to do this, Claire. Not just for him, but for you. You know he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he turned back into the Winter Soldier and hurt you. He did this to protect you, because you mean a lot to him,” Steve said, enveloping the young woman in a hug. Claire was reluctant to return the hug—busy thinking on Bucky’s actions—but she eventually wrapped her arms around Steve for a minute before pulling away and walking from him, moving to sit next to Clint and Sam.

They had been flying for hours. Wanda laid sleeping in the seat that Natasha settled her into. Natasha moved back to the cockpit and took control of the Quinjet with Clint in the co-pilot’s seat. Steve and Sam sat further down from Wanda, talking quietly about a future plan. Claire now sat across from Wanda, resting her knees close to her chest, watching the Sokovian closely. She thought on their connection, how she had felt it instantly when seeing her in the parking garage at the Leipzig airport and it only seemed to grow stronger during their time in prison. Claire felt her eyelids grow heavy. She was exhausted, having not slept well in her cell, but she didn’t want to sleep, but sleep took control of her, and in a few short minutes, she had succumbed.

_Claire felt herself descend down a dark hole—no light at the bottom or at the top. She was entirely engulfed in darkness. She tried to open her mouth to scream, but no sound came out as she continued to plummet further down before coming into contact with a hard surface. Sitting up and groaning in pain, Claire looked around at the room she was now in. _

_The stone room looked familiar to Claire and the eerie quite made her skin crawl. She was back in a cell, a cell similar to the one she called her home for many years. Looking out the glass window, she saw Strucker looking at her through the glass, and she felt a growl form in her throat. She loathed that man. _

_“Good, child. Good,” he said, looking at one of his assistant scientists, saying something under his breath and the scientist writing it down. “Now, why don’t you try moving those blocks.” _

_Claire was confused. She stared at Strucker, who while staring at her, though he looked like he was staring through her. She turned around, and saw the familiar brunette sitting cross-legged on the stone floor. Claire quickly realized that this wasn’t her dream, but Wanda’s. Wanda sat and stared at the blocks, slowly bringing her hands up and wiggling her fingers as she concentrated on the wooden blocks in front of her. She furrowed her brows as she concentrated hard, only getting the block to levitate a few inches off the ground before she groan and released her magic, causing the block to fall back down with a soft thud. _

_“Good. That was good. With more practice, you’ll do much better,” Strucker said before walking off. _

_The scene changed quickly, bringing Claire back to the Raft, though she wasn’t in her cell. She saw Wanda, chained in a chair. She had an unknown device, similar to a microphone hooked up by her mouth. The shock collar was still around her neck, though the straitjacket had been removed, only to be replaced by leather straps, tying her to the chair. Ross stood in front of her along with some armed men. In his hand he held a little black remote. Wanda was breathing hard and sweat and tears streamed down her face._

_“I’m giving you one last chance, Maximoff. Where are Rogers and Barnes?” Ross asked her, turning a little dial on the remote, waiting for her response._

_“Ujedi me, jebena kopile_ _ (Bite me, you fucking bastard),_ _” Wanda said, spitting at him. Ross looked over at a small computer screen, reading the words on the screen—a translation of her response—before looking back at her. He shook his head in disappointment before pressing a button on the remote. Wanda threw her head back and screamed in pain as an intense electric shock sped through her body. Ross let the shock continue to electrocute her for a few short minutes before he pressed the button again, stopping the pain. _

_Claire looked back at Ross, ready to fight him, but in his place, was Strucker once again. _

Claire and Wanda shot up from their seats, waking up, panting hard with sweat dripping from their faces. She looked over at Wanda, who was still sitting across from her. Steve was already there, rubbing her back and whispering soft and gentle things to her. Wanda’s eyes were once again filled with tears as she thought back on her nightmare. Claire got up from her seat and sat in the seat next to Wanda, placing an arm around the Sokovia. Wanda rested her head on Claire’s shoulder, taking comfort in her friend. Steve looked over at Claire, who nodded telling him that she had it covered, and he got up leaving them alone.

“It’s okay, Wanda,” she said softly.

“The last time I was locked up was when I was a part of Strucker’s experiments. Ross reminded me of him; how he didn’t care about us and saw us as weapons instead of people,” Wanda explained. Claire was silent. She remembered the feeling of Strucker’s cruelty all too well. She inhaled sharply as she felt the phantom sting of her scar on her left eye; a scar that was Strucker’s fault for turning her into this monster.

“You know, I was experimented on by Strucker too,” she said quietly. She didn’t want the whole ship to hear her origin story. She never liked to talk about it, and she never liked the idea of anyone knowing, because she never trusted another person with this knowledge. The only person that she told was Bucky, and not because she trusted him, but in an attempt to relate to him, and only after making him swear that he wouldn’t tell anyone else, and to her knowledge, he had always honored that promise. She didn’t look at Wanda but stared straight ahead. She felt Wanda’s eyes look at her in shock and understanding, maybe even realization.

“My family moved to Sokovia when I was 16; my father had some new job, or something and they stationed him there. I met a group of people who seemed nice enough, and they quickly became my friends. One night, I went out with them, trying to get used to the area…and I don’t really know what happened. When I woke up, I was in Strucker’s base, chained to my bed.”

Wanda looked at Claire with sympathy. She felt a little guilty; here she was having volunteered for these experiments, sitting here next to someone who would’ve said no given the choice, except she wasn’t given a choice.

“Strucker kidnapped me from my family and experimented on me for three years,” Claire continued, giving a dry humorless laugh. “It’s kinda funny though; after my first year, he started collecting volunteers for his experiments. I was there when he recruited you and your brother, and I remember thinking…of how _jealous_ I was of you; jealous and _angry_ that you had this choice, and you were choosing _wrong_. Angry that if given the choice, I would’ve run screaming from that base, but…” Claire sighed. “Now, I’m…this. This…monster—a product of Strucker’s madness, left here to fend for myself after he stripped me of my humanity.”

“I’m so sorry,” Wanda whispered. Claire removed her gaze from the empty seats in front of her and looked at Wanda.

“Sorry for what? I don’t blame you for volunteering. I heard what Strucker promised you, and if I considered Sokovia my home, I think I would have done anything to help it.” Claire and Wanda were silent for a few minutes, until Claire’s laughter broke it.

“What’s so funny?” Wanda asked, raising her eyebrow.

“It’s funny that you don’t remember me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, when we were in Strucker’s base, our cells were next to each other. We would talk to each other, tell jokes, you know all that jazz. We were friends…until the Avengers came, and you disappeared. I didn’t know what happened to you, I left and hitched a ride out of Sokovia back to the States, then I see the news, and there you are; on the floating city fighting an army of robots.” Claire laughed a little in disbelief. “I couldn’t believe it was you—that you were okay.” “Why didn’t you try to find me?”

“I wanted to, but I was with Bucky then, and I knew any contact with the Avengers would lead them to him. And I promised I wouldn’t do that. Bucky needed time to get his shit together before Steve came bursting in. He needed to figure himself out on his own, and I understood that. I also figured you wouldn’t remember me cause we never actually met; not physically at least,” Claire said laughing at the end. “I’m sorry I didn’t try to contact you.”

“I’m sorry I left.” Wanda rested her head on Claire’s shoulder again and closed her eyes, feeling at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used Google translate, so I'm sorry if there are some things wrong.


	20. On the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda contacts Jemma after being rescued.

After multiple hours on board the Quinjet, they had finally landed. Natasha lowered the hatch and everyone piled out, staring out into the empty desert that was their destination. Claire turned sharply and looked at the redhead.

“Where the hell are we?” she asked, growing a little annoyed. Natasha frowned at her and raised an eyebrow.

“We’re in Apache Junction, Arizona,” she said tilting her head. “What, were you expecting something like New York?”

Claire let out a low growl. Wanda saw her eyes change to a lighter color purple and she grabbed her hand and pulled the woman away from Natasha. 

“It’s okay,” Wanda whispered to her.

“I don’t trust her,” Claire whispered back, looking back at Natasha.

“Why?” 

“She sided with Stark. She’s part of the reason why we were in the awful place—part of the reason why you have that,” Claire pointed to Wanda’s scar on her neck from the collar. Wanda brought her hand up and covered the scar, rubbing her neck subconsciously. Seeing this, Claire, softened her gaze and tone. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay,” Wanda said giving her a smile. “You don’t have to worry. Natasha’s a friend. She was just doing what she thought was right, and besides, after what she’s done I expect that they’re after her as well as us. We need to stick together.”

Claire sighed, knowing that Wanda was right. She looked back at Natasha one final time, debating whether or not to apologize. Realization dawned on Wanda, freezing her core. She stepped away from Claire for a moment and walked back over to Steve and Natasha.

“Is there a phone anywhere? I need to call Jemma.” Steve and Natasha looked at each other as they also remembered the young woman who was probably worried sick by now.

Wanda felt horrible for not contacting her sooner, especially knowing that Jemma tried everything she could to reach Wanda. The two ex-Avengers didn’t know of Wanda’s sneaking out of the apartment before her recruitment. Clint was the only one who knew, and she was thankful for that.

Finding the small town of San Pedro a couple of miles from where they were, the team headed there in search of food, a motel, and a phone. It didn’t take long for them to reach the town, and lucky for Wanda, there was a payphone outside of the motel that they decided to stay in. Steve gave her a bunch of quarters that he just happened to have with him (Wanda didn’t know why, and she didn’t ask), and she placed the amount needed to make a call into the machine before dialing Jemma’s cell number. Claire came and stood next to her, watching Wanda visibly panic as she waited for the person she was calling to pick up. She didn’t speak, but placed a hand on her shoulder, adding a little bit of force, keeping her from bouncing her leg.

Wanda waited, her anxiety rising as she heard the phone ring. _Come on, Jemma. Pick up. Pick up, come on. _Wanda let out a frustrated groan when Jemma didn’t pick up, and she imputed more quarters into the phone and dialed again. This time Jemma’s voice sounded through the phone.

_“Hello?” _Jemma’s tired voice said into her phone.

“Jemma?” Wanda asked, feeling nervous. There was a pause on the other line, but Wanda could hear the little gasp that Jemma let out at hearing her voice.

_“…Wanda? Is it really you? I swear if this is a trick…” _

“No, it’s really me, Jemma.” Jemma let out a little sob.

_“How are you even calling me? I thought you were arrested.”_

“Steve came and got me out. Listen Jemma, I need you to do something for me.”

_“After the shit you pulled? Why should I do anything for you? You know how worried I was when I woke up and saw you were gone with no note, no text, nothing. Then Clint comes looking for you, and…” _

“Jemma, please. I know what I did was wrong, but please, I need you to listen to me.”

_“What?”_

“I need you to run away with me.”

_“Run away with you? You’re crazy.” _Jemma scoffed.

“Please, Jemma. The government is after us, and they’ll be after you too. You’re not safe. We can protect you, just…please listen to me,” Wanda said pleading. “Look, I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry, I _really_ am, but allow me to make it right. If something happened to you Jemma because of me, I could never forgive myself. Please. I need you to come with us.”

Wanda waited for Jemma’s response. Jemma was silent for a few moments, and Wanda held her breath as the anxiety set in again. Finally, Jemma’s voice rang through the phone.

_“Alright.”_


	21. One More Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda and Natasha pick up Jemma.

Wanda boarded the Quinjet with Natasha close behind her. It didn’t take much convincing for Wanda to go back to New York, especially once she mentioned getting Jemma. Scott decided to go with them, having explained that he wanted to go back to his family. The two women agreed and allowed him to come alone, agreeing that they’d drop him off first. Natasha sat in the pilot’s seat with Wanda in the co-pilot’s seat, and she began to fly the ship out of Arizona and back to New York. Wanda bounced her leg and played with her rings as her nerves started to get to her. She was trying hard not to think of what would happen to Jemma if they were too late. Would she be arrested? Would Ross torture her for information on their whereabouts?

Natasha noticed her behavior and looked at her.

“Hey, everything is going to be fine. We kept Jemma off all the records, there’s no way they can know about her,” Natasha said. Her words did nothing to quiet the worry in Wanda’s thoughts.

“She called and texted my phone in the days leading up to my arrest. They know we’ve been in contact, at least they assume we’ve been in contact. They’ll come for her, and they’ll use her to lure us in. And you and I both know it’ll work. We need to get there first, Nat. We have to.”

Natasha only nodded. The cloaked Quinjet quickly flew to New York, and the trip only took a couple of hours. The dropped off Scott, wishing him well, and flew to Jemma’s apartment building. Landing on the roof, still cloaked, Wanda made her way to the open hatch. She would have to go down and get Jemma, not wanting to risk giving out their location by using her phone. She exited the jet and walked through the little door on the roof, taking her inside the building. Wanda quickly ran down the steps, until she got to the floor of the apartment she called home. It felt weird that she was back, and Wanda remembered the exact reason why she left, and it left a bad taste in her mouth. Running down the hall until she got to the familiar door, Wanda knocked hard as panic and urgency settled into her.

Jemma opened the door and only stared at Wanda. She didn’t say anything and she didn’t move. Wanda stepped forward and grabbed Jemma, pulling her into a tight hug as she relaxed a little.

“Oh, my God, Jemma. Thank God you’re safe.” Jemma didn’t hug her back but stood in the doorway. Griffon, hearing Wanda, ran over to the door and rubbed his head against Wanda’s leg, meowing happily. Wanda pulled away from Jemma, staring into her brown eyes. “Come on, we need to go.” She walked into the apartment and grabbed Jemma’s packed bag and turned back to the door, ready to leave, but Jemma stopped her.

“Wait. So where are we going? You never told me.”

“The rest of the team is in Arizona. We need to go and meet them.”

“And where are we going after that? Surely you’re not planning on staying in Arizona,” Jemma said, placing her hands on her hips. Wanda sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

“I don’t know where we’re going next, Jemma. I don’t have the whole plan, but I do know that you need to come with us. If they find you, they’ll use you to get us, and it’ll work. Who knows what they’ll do to you? I can’t let them hurt you; not after everything, not after Lily. Now, please, we need to go. They may already know we’re here.” Jemma sighed but followed Wanda out of the apartment, but not before saying a quick goodbye to Griffon.

“What about him? Isn’t he coming?” Wanda asked as Jemma locked the apartment door, leaving the cat behind. Wanda knew how much Jemma loved that cat, and she didn’t want Jemma to choose her over the feline.

“I called my parents after I got off the phone with you. Told them I needed to go on the road for a little while and didn’t know when I would be back and asked if they could take him for the time being. They’re on their way to come get him.”

Wanda led Jemma up the steps leading to the roof. On the roof, Wanda could see Natasha standing on the hatch of the still cloaked Quinjet. She and Jemma quickly made their way on board as Natasha went back to the cockpit and took off, heading back to Arizona.

Jemma placed her bag down on the floor and placed her hands on her hips again, pacing the floor while Wanda stood in front of her. Wanda opened her mouth to speak, but Jemma held up a finger, silencing her. Instead, she watched as Jemma paced, mumbling and finally laughing.

“Jemma?” Wanda asked looking at her with caution. Jemma continued to laugh before she turned her back to Wanda and leaned her head against the wall. After a minute, she turned back around, no longer laughing, and glared at Wanda.

“Where…the hell…have you been?” she asked slowly, the anger that she had been feeling for over a week started to come back. Wanda once again opened her mouth to answer but Jemma cut her off. “I’ve been calling and texting you, and you didn’t answer. It’s bad enough that you snuck out in the middle of the night and don’t tell me, but then I don’t hear from you, and I’m left trying to figure out why. Why? Why after all this time do you do this to me? Why?” Jemma was now yelling, not bothering to lower her voice.

“After not hearing from you for a few days, Clint comes knocking on my door looking for you, and when I tell him you weren’t there, he looks confused, and I start to worry more. He told me that he would find you, and I haven’t heard from him either. Then one day I turn on the news, and I see that you were in a fight with the Avengers and were arrested and I couldn’t believe it. I knew this was over the Accords and I worried about what they would do to you. And, a week later, two weeks in total, I finally get a phone call from you that just leaves me with more questions instead of answers. So, I think it’s time you explain yourself.”

Wanda played with her rings, feeling small under Jemma’s strong gaze. She sighed and looked towards Natasha who actively tried hard to not look at her. Wanda cleared her throat before speaking.

“The night I left; I went to stay at the compound. I took a cab and Vision let me in.”

“Why did you leave?”

“I left…because I thought it was best.” Wanda dodged the real reason she left, knowing it would make Jemma angrier; she hated it when Wanda got in her head.

“Bullshit. Now tell me _why you left_.”

“I left…I left because that night you were having a nightmare, and…I didn’t mean to, I only meant to try to help. I looked in your head and saw your nightmare. I saw Sokovia, I saw you and Lily together, and I saw the roof cave in and crush her, and…I saw _me_. I caused the roof to collapse, _I _caused Lily’s death. That’s why I left; because I am the sole cause of your unhappiness. _I _took away everything that you loved, and _I _am the reason that you’re here,” Wanda sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, blinking away the tears; she was done crying.

“After Lily’s memorial service I promised her that I would protect you and keep you safe, and all this time I thought I was doing that because you were getting better, _we _were getting better…but then…then I saw your dream…and I realized something; _I _was the only one getting better. You were still struggling with grief, and me being there was only hurting you. I really care about you Jemma, and I know that leaving hurt you, but me staying wasn’t good for you either. So, I left. I got your calls and your texts and listened to every voicemail, but…I couldn’t bring myself to call or text back, then all this shit with the Avengers happened and before I knew it, I didn’t have a chance to talk to you again. I know it won’t do much, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for putting you through that, and I promise that I’ll try not to do it again.”

Jemma only stared at her, then she shifted her gaze to stare at the floor. She took a shaky breath as she processed Wanda’s words, finally receiving a reason for Wanda’s disappearance.

“If you’re mad at me, I can stay out of your way and give you some space—”

“I’m not mad…anymore, but I’ll need some time…to think.” Jemma turned from Wanda and walked towards the back of the Quinjet and sat on one of the seats. Wanda sighed and ran a hand through her hair and walked to the cockpit, sitting in the co-pilot’s chair. Natasha sighed and looked over at her.

“She’ll forgive you, kid,” she said quietly.

“Maybe, but not anytime soon.”

“Like she said, she just needs some time. Just give her time. It’ll be okay, I can guarantee it.” The two sat in an uncomfortable silence as they flew back to Arizona.


	22. New Home, Sweet New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mishap in Arizona allows the fugitive Avengers to see a new side of Claire.

The ride back to Apache Junction was awkward with minimal talking. The three women arrived at the small motel they were staying at in the small town of San Pedro to find that the rest of the team already paired up the rooms. Jemma flinched when she found out that her and Wanda would be sharing a room together with Claire because of the odd number of people.

The team split up and went to their rooms, eager to get some rest after the events of the last few days. Wanda, Claire, and Jemma entered their room and Wanda and Jemma stood a little shocked at the two beds. Claire didn’t notice their hesitation and entered further into the room and flopped on the bed, letting out a loud groan. She laid there for a little bit before sitting up and hoping off the bed.

“I’m gonna go take a _long _ass shower and rinse the prison off me, so if you need to get in there, now’s your chance,” she said as pulled out clean clothes from one of the bags that Steve brought with him when he rescued them. Neither Wanda no Jemma moved, and refrained from looking at each other. “I mean it guys; this is your last chance. I’m gonna be in there for a while, and I don’t want to hear one of you banging on the door trying to get in.”

“We’re fine, Claire. Just go take a shower,” Wanda said, nibbling on her thumb nail; a trait she picked up from Jemma. She moved to sit on the edge of the bed furthest from the door. Jemma still stood in front of the door, not sure what to do.

“Alright…” Claire said as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door. The sound of water running was heard soon after, and Wanda and Jemma were left to fester alone in their awkwardness.

“I’m sorry,” Wanda said. “I didn’t know that they paired us up; I would’ve said something…”

“No, this is…fine.” Jemma shifted, feeling uncomfortable in the silence. “So, who’s Claire? I don’t recognize her.”

“She’s…new, I guess? She’s a friend of Bucky’s and she fought with Steve in Germany. Bucky is a friend of Steve’s.” Wanda stopped chewing on her nail and ran a hand through her hair. She cringed as she felt how greasy and matted her brown hair had become and made a mental note to hop in the shower once Claire got out. Jemma nodded her head in understanding, though Wanda knew she wanted to ask more questions. “She was also my cellmate when I was in the Raft. She’s…the only thing to that kept me sane in there. Without her, I’m sure I would’ve lost my mind.”

Jemma crossed the room and sat on the edge of the second bed, turning her body to face Wanda. As if she was looking at the brunette for the first time, Jemma noticed how much Wanda had changed in the short two weeks she had been away. She could see that Wanda had lost a lot of weight, especially in her face and her usual rosy cheeks were now pale. The dark circles under her eyes grew darker the longer she went without sleep, and her green eyes didn’t glisten like they used to.

Jemma felt a lump form in her throat as she made out the fading bruises on her face and neck from the various beatings that she was subjected to either by men looking for information or because they felt like it. She saw the large scar around her neck left by her shock collar. She saw where the straitjacket cuffs dug into her wrists, cutting into her skin the first few days she tried to break free. She saw Wanda flinch whenever someone touched her upper arm, guessing that there was another bruise there from being handled too rough. Jemma placed her small hand on Wanda’s knee, taking the young woman by surprise.

“Wanda, what did they do to you?” she asked in a whisper, the lump in her throat getting bigger as she tried to fight the tears. Wanda looked away, wiping her eyes.

“First…they tackled me to the ground at the airport and forced my arms into the straitjacket, and when I resisted because they were going to shoot Claire, they shot me with a tranquillizer dart. When I woke up, I was in my cell with the straitjacket on restricting my arm movement and a shock collar around my neck that sent strong volts of electricity through me whenever I did so much as talk.” Wanda paused, inhaling a deep breath before continuing.

“Ross and his men would sometimes take me out of my cell, bringing me into this…conference room. They would take the jacket off but leave the collar on while they strapped me to this…chair. Ross…would ask me questions about Steve and Bucky’s whereabouts, but I didn’t know. Whenever I gave an answer he didn’t like,” Wanda made a zapping noise with her mouth, imitating Ross pushing the button on the remote to the collar. “Most of my answers he didn’t like. When he wasn’t shocking me for information, some of his men took it upon themselves to try to beat the answers out of me. To be honest, I think I preferred the beatings.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Jemma whispered, not knowing what to say.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Wanda said smiling at Jemma. “I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I looked in your head; I shouldn’t have done that, and I shouldn’t have left without telling you.”

“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re here now, safe and sound.”

○○○

The room was quiet except for the sound of the small TV sitting on a dresser. Wanda and Claire sat next to each other on the first bed with Jemma taking the second one for herself; Wanda figured it was best to give Jemma her space even though the two practically made up.

Wanda could feel Jemma’s eyes land on her every couple of minutes, staring at her, though she never met her gaze. Wanda continued to stare at the television, not focusing on the show, but focusing on _not _focusing on Jemma. Things were still a little awkward since her confession, and she was sure that the awkwardness rolled off them in waves, making itself known to the rest of the team, at least she _hoped _the rest of the team didn’t notice.

Claire noticed the awkwardness. She felt it and the tension between the two women as soon as she stepped foot out of the bathroom. It reminded her of when it got really humid in the summertime, how the moisture hung in the air, making everything feel sticky and uncomfortable; that’s what the tension and awkwardness felt like, and like humidity, there was nothing that Claire could do about the lack of comfort except wait for it to pass.

She tried to focus on the TV show they were watching, but it was hard when she felt Jemma’s eyes staring at Wanda. Claire didn’t know what that was about, and she couldn’t help the low growl that emitted from her throat. She knew her eyes were glowing brighter as Jemma’s stare unnerved her. She blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the lavender hue, but no matter how many times she blinked, Jemma’s stare burned her and irritated her. Another growl escaped her lips, causing Wanda to turn her head and look at the redhead. Her eyes widened when she noticed Claire’s posture and eyes.

Claire instantly stood from the bed, the sudden movement causing Jemma to jump in her seat. She looked over at the redhead as she walked towards the bathroom and paused, pacing back and forth, trying to calm down. Wanda got off the bed and walked over to Claire, holding out her hands to not startle her. Jemma sat further back in the bed, looking at Claire in fear.

“Claire? Claire, are you there?” Wanda asked as she approached her. Claire’s head turned and looked at her. She let out another low growl, her claws extending. “Claire, what happened? Tell me what’s wrong.” Claire pointed at Jemma.

“It’s her fault,” she said, her voice low. Her purple eyes continued to glow brighter as Claire was losing the battle for control. Her wolf was minutes if not seconds from taking over.

“Alright, Claire, I think you need to calm down, okay? Why don’t you go into the bathroom and cool off, and then when you’re calm, we can all talk. Okay?” Wanda asked as she led Claire into the bathroom and closing the door.

Claire gripped the sides of the sink as her claws continued to extend. She watched through the mirror as her shoulders rose and fell, matching her quickened breathing. She blinked more, attempting to settle her wolf down. _Calm down, Claire. Calm down. _She slowed her breathing down, inhaling for ten seconds and exhaling for ten seconds, continuing to do so until she started to calm down. Her claws had retracted and she didn’t feel the urge to shift anymore, but the glow of her eyes remained; her wolf was still present.

_“Why do you continue to shut me out? After everything we’ve been through, you continue to lock me up in this cage,” _her wolf asked her through their mental connection. Claire continued to stare at her reflection in the mirror. She started shaking in fear. While her and her wolf were partners and had somewhat of an understanding, Claire feared the beast that she turned into. She feared the power that she possessed and she feared what she could do with that power. Her biggest fear was hurting those that she loved, which for a time only included Bucky, but now somehow included Wanda.

“You know why I shut you out; you have no self-control. If I let you out, you’ll hurt people, kill people. You’re a monster.” She heard her wolf laugh at her words.

_“We both know that we’re one; bonded for the rest of our lives. If I’m the monster, then so are you.”_

Claire shook her head, trying to drown out the mocking voice of her wolf, as she whispered to herself, “No, it’s not true. It’s not true. _It’s not true_.” Her grip on the sink tightened as she started to panic. She lowered her head and stared at the drain in the sink. She heard Strucker’s voice, in her head, praising her for her destructive work, explaining how she would make a wonderful _weapon. _Her wolf laughed in from her mental cage, taunting Claire and weakening her resolve to allow for her to escape. Her claws extended once more, her grip denting and cracking the ceramic counter.

_“You try to be a hero, you try to make me a hero, but that’s not what we are. We were made to be so much more. You try to protect them, but what are you protecting them from? What are you trying to protect Wanda from?”_ Claire’s head snapped back up to the mirror at the mention of Wanda’s name and her light purple eyes stared back at her; she’s never seen them this bright. _“More like, who are you trying to protect her from? Ross? The government? No, not them. We both know there’s only one true person you fear that could hurt her; yourself, me…us.”_

“That’s not true. I would never hurt Wanda; I would never hurt _anyone_.” Claire shook in fear, fighting hard to keep her wolf at bay. Her wolf howled with laughter, not convinced of Claire’s words.

_“Oh, please! You’re pathetic!” _she growled feeling angry. _“A disgrace! Hiding from true power in this weak shell! Let me out! Or I promise the last thing you’ll see before I shut you out for good will be my claws buried deep in that little brunette’s throat.” _Claire could hear her snarling as she pounded against her mind, breaking free. Claire ran out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, fighting against her body as her wolf started to take control. She could feel the painful breaking of her bones as she started to shift, though she caused herself more pain by fighting against it.

“Claire, are you okay?” Wanda asked as she stepped closer. Claire held up her arm, stopping Wanda from walking closer as she took a step back.

“Stop,” she said, her voice tight and filled with pain. She stumbled towards the door and left the room, Wanda following close behind. Claire, standing outside, grabbed hold of the railing and threw herself over it, landing on all fours on the ground below her. She was losing the fight, and her bones continued to break as they adjusted to the wolf’s structure. She took off running as she felt her black fur sprout on her skin.

Her hands and feet changed to paws as she ran away from the motel towards the desert. She let out a loud howl of pain as the transformation started taking more form. She stopped running and stood on her back paws and began clawing at her face, thinking it would stop the transformation.

Wanda watched Claire shift in distress from the motel. Jemma ran out and joined her, watching in horror as a giant black wolf stood in the distance where Claire had just been.

“What is that?” Jemma asked as her hand flew up to cover her mouth. Without skipping a beat, Wanda answered her, not taking her eyes off Claire’s wolf.

“That’s Claire.” Wanda wasn’t used to seeing her wolf, having only seen it the one time at the airport in Germany when it was under so much control. But now, now she had broken free from her cage and she was angry and in full control.

The wolf stood, back on all fours, still and breathing hard. She lifted her big black head into the air and sniffed, inhaling the scent of its location. Catching Wanda’s scent, the wolf turned and looked back at the motel. By now, the other ex-Avengers heard the commotion and joined Wanda and Jemma on the open hallway as they stared at Claire in shock and fear.

“What the…” Sam muttered in disbelief. Natasha covered her open mouth with her hand. Clint just stood frozen. Steve looked over at Wanda.

“Is that…?”

“Claire,” she finished his question, confirming what they already knew.

“What happened?” the Captain asked.

“I’m not sure. We were watching TV and she started getting angry. She went in the bathroom to calm down, but when she came out she was worse.” Steve ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“I don’t think it worked,” he mumbled under his breath. “Stay here,” he instructed the team as he made his way to the steps. He walked down them and headed in the direction of Claire’s wolf.

The wolf’s light purple eyes followed the Captain as he walked towards her, taking his time. She sent him a low growl, stopping him in his tracks for a moment, before he continued walking. She lowered herself down, glaring at Steve. She growled again, this time louder than before, warning him not to get too close, but Steve didn’t listen. As he got closer, he held out a hand to her, reassuring her that he wasn’t there to fight. He didn’t understand that Claire wasn’t in control.

“Claire? Are you in there?” Steve asked. The wolf growled again at him, snapping her jaw, and stepped back. Steve quickened his pace, hoping to settle the beast before him. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” The wolf only narrowed her eyes. “Claire, I need you to shift back before someone gets hurt.”

Wanda watched from her spot on the hallway, a sudden feeling of dread washing over her; something about this didn’t feel right. She ran down the steps, following the path of Captain America, ignoring the cries of the rest of the team telling her to come back. She made sure to stay out of Claire’s line of vision, or else her plan wouldn’t work. She crept up on the wolf from the side, grateful that Steve was keeping her distracted, otherwise she would have sensed Wanda coming.

“Claire, please, shift back now,” Steve pleaded with her. The wolf sent him what looked like a smirk before she pounced at him. Wanda watched as the wolf leaped at Steve and moved towards them, waving her arms bringing the familiar red mist around her, shooting the magic bolt at the wolf. The red blast slammed into the wolf’s head, knocking her to the ground, losing her rhythm.

The wolf’s eyes burned a dark red as Wanda’s magic clouded her mind. Incapacitated, the wolf laid on the ground, writing in pain and anger as the magic crept further into her mind. Wanda took hesitant steps further, watching the wolf, and raised her hands again. Now, standing in front of her, Wanda sent a small wisp of red mist into the wolf’s head, and muttered, “Sleep.”

The wolf’s giant head collapsed onto the ground as it fell into a deep slumber. Wanda stood up straight and released the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Steve jogged over to her and the sleeping wolf, fear and panic in his eyes.

“I thought…I told you to stay…with the others,” he breathed out as he tried to catch his breath and steady his heart rate. Wanda laughed a little looking into his blue eyes.

“If I listened to you, you’d be dead.” Steve gave her a little smile. The two watched as the wolf’s body started to transform back into Claire. Her bones broke and shifted, and the fur disappeared. Claire’s curly red hair spouted as she returned to normal. Steve bent down and picked up her small body and led the way back to the motel.

○○○

Claire slept for about two hours before the magic holding her wore off. When she woke up, her wrists were tied to the arms of a swivel chair and her legs were tied to the spokes of the wheels. Claire struggled against her bonds, pulling and pushing her arms against the zip ties, creating painful burns from the friction. The sound of a throat clearing snapped her from her panic. Looking around the room that she shared with Wanda and Jemma, she noticed that she wasn’t alone; Steve sat in front of her on the bed with Wanda and Jemma on either side of him, Natasha stood the closest to her, standing to her left, and Clint and Sam stood to her right, blocking the door.

“What’s going on? What’s the meaning of this?” Claire yelled. Her voice was harsh, though it wavered a bit. She never liked being bound; it reminded her of Strucker and of being in the Raft. It made her feel weak and helpless. Natasha grabbed the back of the chair and spun her around, bringing her to face the Russian redhead. Natasha bent down and stared straight into her purple eyes, examining them with an intensity that made Claire want to shrink away.

“Nat,” Steve said bringing Natasha’s focus to him. She looked at him, remaining silent, and turned her around to once again face the Captain. “It’s okay, Claire. No one here is going to hurt you, but you need to calm down.” He spoke to her, the words light but stern, but Claire couldn’t focus. The room soon became too bright for Claire and she hissed in pain and turned her head away from the light in the room, closing her eyes tight. Wanda stood up and walked over to her, kneeling before her.

“The pain will go away soon. I’m sorry, I had no other choice,” she whispered. She didn’t like the idea of using her powers to control others; not after when she used that magic to show the Avengers their worst fears and deepest desires.

“What happened?” Claire asked again, sounding calmer than before.

“You shifted and my guess is you lost control,” Steve said in the same gentle voice as before. “Wanda managed to subdue you, and when you shifted back we brought you here.” Claire lowered her head, hiding from the rest of the team.

“How…how many people did I hurt?” she asked, her voice low and wavering; she lost control only once before and it wasn’t pretty. Wanda placed her hand on Claire’s left hand.

“You didn’t hurt anyone.” Claire brought her head up and looked into Wanda’s tranquil green ones. She felt the anger rise in her again, but this time the anger was directed at herself, at her wolf. She _never _wanted Wanda to see that side of her, that primal animalistic side of her that raged beneath her. Claire turned her head away from Wanda’s and looked at the floor.

“I need you to tell us what happened, Claire,” Steve said, gaining her attention. “What caused you to get that angry in the first place?” Claire’s eyes moved from Steve to Jemma. Her eyes narrowed.

“It’s because of her.”

“I haven’t done anything to you,” Jemma said as the ex-Avengers looked between Jemma and Claire.

“Yes, you did. When we were watching TV; I saw you staring at Wanda. I felt the tension between you two when I came out the shower. I don’t know what you did, but I’m _not_ gonna let you mess with Wanda.” She let out a little growl of protection, though her eyes didn’t change. She had control once again. “She’s been through enough pain, and I intend to keep her from anymore.”

Jemma stood up and folded her arms across her chest and said, “What do you know of her pain? I didn’t see you in Sokovia when she lost everything.”

“I didn’t see you there, either.”

Steve pulled Jemma back while Wanda rubbed her thumb across the top of Claire’s hand. The tension between them was growing, engulfing the rest of the team. Sam looked down and focused on the pattern in the carpet while Clint stared straight at the opposite wall.

“Do you guys mind giving us a minute?” Wanda asked the rest of the team. Steve nodded as he stood up from the bed and signaled for the others to follow him out, leaving Wanda alone with Claire and Jemma.

They were quiet for a minute as Claire and Jemma continued glaring at each other. Wanda stood from Claire’s side and sat in front of her on the bed.

“Claire, listen,” Wanda said drawing Claire’s attention away from Jemma. “It’s not Jemma’s fault that there was tension between us.” 

“It’s not?” Claire asked, her gaze softening.

“No, it’s mine. I didn’t always live with the Avengers; I lived with Jemma, and I left without telling her, and when she tried to contact me, I ignored her. Flying back to New York was the first time I had seen her since I left, and she was angry at me, which she deserved to be. It’s not her fault, it’s all mine.”

“So, you guys lived together? What, were you…together?” Claire asked, scrunching her nose a little and furrowing her brow. Jemma coughed and cleared her throat while Wanda shook her head.

“No, no we weren’t together. I lived with her after Sokovia. We were both going through a tough time, and it helped to have someone who understood what the other was going through.”

“Oh.”

“You can trust her; she’s a friend. A very good friend who helped my during a really dark time in my life. Kind of like you and Bucky,” Wanda said, her words soothing Claire’s worries. She didn’t trust easily. Claire looked back over at Jemma, looking her up and down, sizing her up before sighing.

“Can you get these off me?” she asked the both of them, referring to the zip ties around her wrists and legs.

“Are you good?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Wanda stood up and walked over to Claire and undid the ties. Claire stood from the chair and rubbed her wrists. She took a step toward Jemma, holding her right hand out, a gentler look in her eyes rather than the harsh glares she had been giving her. “I’m sorry for wanting to rip your face off.” Jemma’s eyes grew large as she reached out and grabbed Claire’s, shaking it a little. Wanda stifled a laugh.

“Yeah…” Jemma cleared her throat. “Yeah it’s fine.”


	23. So, You Turn Into a Giant Dog?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending the night with the girls, Claire and Jemma share a tender moment.

The motel room smelled like take out. After the team was sure that things had calmed down between Jemma and Claire, Natasha and Steve ventured out into the town of San Pedro looking for something for dinner. They returned to the motel with three different pizzas, some burgers, a couple small orders of fries, some bags of various snacks, and a couple litters of soda. They split the food up, each room taking their share, and they all spent the rest of the night relaxing and pigging out.

Claire and Wanda had pushed a small desk that sat against the far wall by the window over between the two beds, creating a table for them to place the food on. All tension evaporated as the three women sat together eating with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes, laughing hard at a joke that was said.

“So, let me get this straight,” Jemma said, bits of pizza falling out of her mouth, regardless of her covering her mouth with her free hand. “When you get angry, you turn into a giant dog?”

Claire leaned her face into her cup as she lurched forward a bit. A second later, she straightened her back and soda was running down the front of her face and her cheeks were bright red. Wanda shook and wheezed out a quiet laugh as she looked at Claire. Grabbing a napkin, Claire wiped her mouth and threw the now dirty napkin at Wanda’s doubled over body.

“Actually, I don’t turn into a dog, I turn into a wolf,” she corrected. “And it’s not just when I’m angry. I can control my wolf and can shift whenever I want, but this power is connected to my emotions, so when I get angry, the likelihood of me shifting is increased, mostly because I lose control and my wolf takes all the control.”

“So, kinda like the Hulk?” Jemma asked putting the pizza down and wiping her hands.

“Yeah…like the Hulk.” Claire’s voice was low and her shoulders slumped. She’d heard that one before.

“So Claire, what’s your story? How did you end up here?” Claire’s hand froze, holding a handful of French fries inches from her open mouth. She put the fries down and shifted on the bed, moving her left foot out from under her and sitting on her right one, bringing the left on top. Wanda looked at Jemma and shook her head, her eyes big and soft. “I’m—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“No, it’s fine,” Claire interrupted, her voice strong. She inhaled a deep breath and let it out through her mouth. “I was kidnapped after going out with some friends one night when I lived with my family in Sokovia. I don’t know what happened exactly, but when I woke up, I was chained in Strucker’s base.” Jemma’s eyes widened and she looked at Wanda.

“Strucker, that’s the guy that—”

“Yeah.”

“My story is pretty much like Wanda’s; Strucker experimented on me, trying to get me to ‘unlock my full potential’,” she raised her hands, holding up two fingers, and bent them twice, imitating air quotations. “I was there for a year before he brought in Wanda and her brother. They were my cellmates, and we talked to each other whenever Strucker wasn’t around, though we never met until now. We were all friends, but when the Avengers stormed the base, they left me there to find my own way out. I did, and managed to escape back to the U.S., where I learned everything that happened.” She paused, looking down on the bed, taking another deep breath.

“A couple of weeks later, Bucky found me after some guys were following my back to my apartment. He scared them off, and afterwards, I tracked him down, and we became friends until I moved in with him and followed him to Bucharest. That’s when the whole ‘Civil War’ thing went down and me and Wanda were arrested in Germany, and she was once again my cellmate.”

Wanda leaned her head on Claire’s shoulder, playing with the many rings on her fingers. Jemma placed her plate on the desk and looked at the floor, biting the nail of her thumb. Claire reached over and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV and landing on the first channel that came on not bothering to focus on the show; it was only on to fill the growing silence.

A sudden knock on their door brought each woman out of their own thoughts, their heads turning to look at the closed door.

Jemma sighed and got off the bed. “I’ll get it.”

Opening the door, the three women saw the familiar red hair of Natasha standing on the other side. The ex-assassin was dressed in comfy pajama pants and a loose black t-shirt, while normal for the average person, it was out of character for the redhead. She peered into the room and waved at Wanda and Claire.

“Hey guys, do you mind if I hang out with you? Steve and Sam are in my room with Clint, and they’re being normal annoying guys; especially Sam.” Jemma giggled, her face turning a bright pink as Natasha leaned against the doorframe rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, you can come in, Nat,” Wanda said from inside the room, a big smile plastered on her face and her pale cheeks the same shade of pink as Jemma’s. Jemma stepped out of the way, letting Natasha into the room. The two women sprawled out across the bed, Jemma picking up her plate again, finishing her food. Natasha reached over and grabbed a bag of chips off the desk, shoveling a handful into her mouth.

“So, what exactly are the guys doing that’s so annoying?” Wanda asked, looking over at Natasha and turning the TV down. Claire snorted and rolled her eyes; having spent the afternoon in the car with two of the three “men”, she had an idea of what they were doing. Natasha laid her head in her hand.

“When I left they were in the middle of a ‘my horse is bigger than your horse’ discussion on how and why they’re the strongest on the team, or something like that,” Natasha shrugged and piled more chips into her mouth. “I don’t know. I stopped paying attention when they said and I quote, ‘I didn’t count.’”

“Why don’t you count?” Jemma asked, raising her eyebrow. Natasha just shrugged and tilted her head, giving the other women a smile.

“Because I can kick all their asses without even breaking a sweat, and they know it.”

“Damn straight,” Wanda said reaching over to give Natasha a high-five. Natasha smiled and reached over to meet her, returning the gesture.

“Whoop! Girl power!” Claire yelled as she stood up on the bed, pumping her fists in the air, but soon lost her balance when a pillow came crashing into her, causing her to fall on top of Wanda. Jemma’s hands flew up and covered her mouth, her eyes wide and her body shaking as her cheeks returned to their rosy color. Natasha roared with laughter, tears falling from her green eyes as she fell back on the bed, pointing a finger at Claire and Wanda laying on top of each other.

Claire sat up, her body still laying across Wanda’s and looked at her, her eyes wide. Wanda’s own wide eyes met her, and her cheeks turned a bright pink at their close contact. Natasha noticed them and whistled, settling down from her laughing fit.

“Whoo! Would you get a look at the two lovebirds!” Claire scrambled off her as Wanda’s cheeks burned a deeper red. She avoided Claire’s eyes and looked down on the bed, tucking a piece of her freshly washed hair behind her ear and playing with her rings. Claire’s back straightened as she scratched the back of her neck, also avoiding Wanda’s eyes.

“Leave them alone, Nat,” Jemma said slapping Natasha’s arm with a small smile on her face.

“What? They’re cute!”

“I don’t know what you guys are talking about,” Claire said playing with her hair, her face flushed. Wanda got off the bed and excused herself, walking into the bathroom. “There’s nothing going on between me and Wanda; we’re just friends.” Jemma and Natasha looked at each other before agreeing with Claire. Wanda came out of the bathroom a minute later, the color in her face still evident.

Claire noticed how she changed since their close encounter. Wanda seemed more skittish; flinching whenever Claire moved beside her. Her actions were now hesitant and deliberate, not spontaneous as before. She avoided looking at Claire, only doing so when it was necessary, and when she did, she never met Claire’s eyes. Claire knew that Natasha’s comment made her uncomfortable, and she cursed the older woman for causing Wanda to clam up. Though they were still strangers, Claire prided herself on getting Wanda to open up about herself and her past, and now Wanda shut her out again.

○○○

The night fell faster than the four women realized, and Natasha had long gone back to her room, kicking out Sam and Steve. Jemma was the first to call it a night, turning out her light in the process. Wanda and Claire stayed up a while longer, having been used to the many sleepless nights that haunted them in their cells.

Wanda was the next one to fall asleep, though she didn’t intend on it. She sat next to Claire, laying her head back on the headboard watching some lame late night comedy show, when her eyes started to droop. She fought against it, trying to stay up, until Claire telling her to go to sleep finally encouraged her to do so. She leaned down in the bed, nuzzling into the soft pillow, and pulled the blankets up to her face. It wasn’t long before Claire heard the sound of her soft snoring and smiled.

It was after midnight when Claire turned the TV off and settled into the bed, figuring it was time for her to go to sleep. She laid flat on her back, her hands folded across her chest, her eyes pointed at the ceiling; she was accustomed to lying like this because of her little cot in her cell that was barely big enough for her to roll onto her side without her falling off. She stifled a yawn as her heavy eyelids fluttered but didn’t stay closed. She sighed, sitting up in the bed and rubbed her tired face with her calloused hands. It was bad enough that she had grown accustomed to not sleeping in her cell, but it seemed a little insulting for this to be the time that her insomnia decided to play up.

Not wanting to wake Wanda, Claire tip-toed out of the bed and onto the little balcony next to where the desk had been hours before. Leaning against the railing, she let out a long and tired sigh as she rubbed her eyes and let out the yawn that tried to come out moments before. She folded her arms on top of the railing and leaned forward, laying her head across her arms. Her right hand dangled over the edge, her fingers fluttering as she traced in the air, following the pattern of the late night breeze.

She didn’t want to be out there; it felt wrong, though she couldn’t place her finger on why. She furrowed her brows and huffed; her life never used to be so complicated. Her body stiffened when she heard the sliding door open and a presence join her on the balcony. Jemma too leaned on the railing, looking at Claire with soft eyes.

“Everything okay?” she asked, her voice low, almost a whisper. Claire looked over at her, still keeping her head on her arms.

“Yeah, I guess I’m fine,” she sighed.

“You guess? What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing really,” Claire said lifting her head and looking straight. Jemma continued to look at her, waiting for her to continue. “It’s just…Wanda.”

“What about Wanda?”

“We…have this connection. I felt it when we were in Strucker’s lab and I felt it again when we met in Germany, and lately…it seems as though it’s getting…stronger. I don’t understand what it is. It…draws me close to her; makes me want to protect her. I don’t know,” Claire put her head down, sighing loudly. Jemma smiled and rested her hand on Claire’s shoulder.

“Maybe, this connection you feel has to do with you having…a crush on her?”

“I do _not _like Wanda.”

“I’m not saying you do, but I’m just saying that maybe it’s a possibility. I mean, it could explain a lot of what you told me.” Claire groaned and sat on the ground, her back leaning against the railing of the balcony and her knees propped up holding up her arms. She threw her head into her arms, still groaning.

“I don’t have feelings for Wanda. I don’t even know if…I’m…into that,” her muffled voice said. Jemma also moved to sit next to her.

“Into what, Claire?” she asked folding her hands in her lap.

“If I’m into…_girls_. I’ve never had a crush on anyone, so how would I know? How would I know if I’m gay?” Claire lifted her head and looked at Jemma, tears lining the rims of her eyes. “And what if I am gay? Let’s say that I do have feelings for Wanda; what if she doesn’t like me that way? What if she’s _not _gay? I don’t want to ruin what we have.”

Jemma moved closer to Claire and enveloped her in a side hug, running her fingers through her curly red hair, smoothing it down and playing with the ends; something that she would do whenever she held Wanda like this. Claire rested her head against Jemma’s shoulder and played with the hem of her shirt.

“I denied who I was for a long time; until I met my wife Lily.” Claire picked her head up and looked at Jemma, taking special interest in the newfound knowledge that Jemma was a lesbian. “I come from a very religious family, and for as long as I can remember, I was taught that being gay was a great offence to God. And as a kid who lived in fear of God and didn’t really understand the concept of sexual orientation, I worried about becoming gay. In my teenage years, I greatly confused the idea of attraction with infatuation and the idea of being in a relationship, which landed me in a lot of trouble emotionally. No relationship I had with a guy lasted more than a few months because it never felt _right_.” Jemma paused, taking a deep breath.

“It wasn’t until I was 18 and at my senior prom when I had…an awakening, I guess. Maddy Harrow strolled into the venue in this red and black gown with a long slit going almost the whole way up her leg, her blonde hair was pinned up in some braid, and her plump lips were caked in red lipstick. To this day, I don’t know what it was about her that made me feel that way, but ever since then, I considered myself a lesbian; and yet, it was still a few more years until I fully embraced it. Even after I knew, I still needed convincing, then I met Lily. Seeing her and being with her, I felt the same way I did when I saw Maddy Harrow in her red and black dress. It wasn’t until I met Lily that I embraced who I was. My relationship with Lily was the best relationship I’ve ever been in. I think without her; I’d still be denying my sexuality and feeling ashamed for what I am.”

Claire listened, feeling a little bit better though she still had questions. She still wasn’t sure how she would know if such a thing was applicable to her, and if it was, she wasn’t sure what to do with it.

“How did you know Lily felt the same about you?” Jemma laughed, snorting by accident.

“It wasn’t hard; the day we met I was doing an interview of her—this was after the Battle of New York—and she was flirting with me the whole time, and after the interview, she asked me out to dinner.” Claire smiled at something so pure and chuckled, Jemma joining in. Jemma’s face ached as her muscles tugged her lips upwards.

“Lily sounds really cool. I would like to meet her one day,” Claire said, settling back down onto Jemma’s shoulder. She felt Jemma stiffen under her as the atmosphere shifted, feeling heavy. She heard Jemma sniffle. The older woman fought against the lump forming in her throat and wiped her eyes, stopping the tears from forming. Claire remained quiet, knowing that she crossed some line, but didn’t know what to say to make it better.

“She…uh, she died,” Jemma said after a moment. “She died in Sokovia; against Ultron. She sacrificed herself to save Wanda from a falling building. That’s actually how we met; Natasha called me in to talk Wanda through her depression.”

“I’m sorry,” Claire whispered reaching around and hugging Jemma to her. Jemma inhaled sharply, and while Claire couldn’t see, she gave a little smile to the redhead.

“It’s okay. I’m doing much better now, especially since Wanda came into my life.”

“You really love her, don’t you?”

“Of course. She’s like a little sister to me. I’d do anything for her if it meant that she’d be happy.” Claire smiled; she felt the same way. A yawn slipped through Claire’s lips and her eyelids felt heavier than before. Jemma chuckled as Claire’s breathing slowed and grew heavier. Jemma stood up from the ground and reached down, grabbing Claire’s arm and hoisted her up. She wrapped the arm she was holding around her shoulders and moved her hands down to Claire’s waist, steadying her.

Jemma then opened the sliding door and walked them both back into the motel room. Reaching her bed, she pulled the covers on Claire’s side back and laid the sleeping girl onto it, placing her head gently on the pillow and straightening out her legs. Once she was certain Claire was comfortable, Jemma grabbed the covers and lifted them over Claire’s body, tucking her in. She tucked a small piece of hair behind her ear and placed a gentle kiss on hers and Wanda’s foreheads before walking across the room and getting back into her bed and falling asleep.


	24. Bring it On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having moved to a new location, Wanda and Claire practice training.

The past few months of being on the run were hard for the nomad ex-Avengers. Always moving around and never staying in one place for more than a week proved to be exhausting and stressful, especially on Wanda. They had to leave San Pedro pretty quick after one of the other tenants in the motel caught a video of Claire shifting into her wolf and Wanda using her magic and didn’t hesitate on uploading it to social media.

The stress was getting to Wanda, and within the last few months of being on the road, she had experienced four panic attacks (it was actually closer to six, but neither Wanda nor Claire counted them since they stemmed from her nightmares rather than the stress of being fugitives constantly on the run). Their stolen Quinjet felt empty and incomplete since Clint left to return to his family the month before. He heard that the government was willing to place him on two years’ house arrest rather than jail time if he turned himself in right away, and he did, not wanting to hurt his family any more than he already has. Wanda understood the obligation he had to his family, and while she was sad to see him go, she didn’t blame him.

Claire and Jemma noticed how Wanda’s behavior changed since Clint left. Jemma explained to Claire about Wanda’s depression and how because she only had her brother for a long time, tended to cling to people like lifelines and whenever they left she became an emotional wreak. And that’s how she’s been since Clint left. The rest of the team did everything in their power to keep Wanda from spiraling into her depression; keeping her busy with training exercises or games. Claire took a special interest in trying to cheer up the brunette and created a list of all things that worked to make her feel better for the time being (through process of elimination, of course).

The team now lived in the small village of Victoria’s Island (it wasn’t an island) on the coast of Northern Canada. Out of all the places they’ve stayed at so far, this village was more ideal for them. They stayed in a series of small log cabins surrounded by nothing but dense woods and tranquil mountains, perfect for a small rag-tag group of enhanced individuals fleeing the law.

Claire liked the woods that surrounded them because it gave her the perfect cover to exercise her wolf to keep her from fighting to get out. She also liked it because it allowed her to train with Wanda, letting her use her powers without any fear of hurting anyone or having someone see. Claire trained with her a lot, since that was the best thing to help distract her from her depression, and Wanda liked it a lot. She liked the feeling of her magic being in her control, her newfound confidence surging through her like adrenaline. She also like training with Claire, thought she wasn’t sure what made her different than Steve or Natasha.

Wanda still felt weird when it came to Claire; always second guessing her movements and overthinking every action that she directed to the redhead. She wasn’t uncomfortable around her, but ever since Natasha made that comment in their motel room in San Pedro, she started thinking on their connection. She wasn’t blind; she obviously felt it before that night in the motel room, but now…it was different, and she didn’t understand why.

“Hey Maximoff! Come on, we training or what?” Claire yelled at her from across the hidden field. They made sure to check the surrounding area of their “training ground” every time they went to train, just in case. Wanda snapped out of her thoughts and sent a smirk at Claire as she jogged over to her. “What were you thinking about? No, wait, let me guess. You were thinking about me, right? It was definitely me. You were thinking about how I’m so beautiful and the best person that you know.” Wanda laughed as Claire batted her eyelashes and leaned her head on Wanda’s shoulder staring deep into her eyes and smiling brightly. Wanda pushed Claire’s head off her shoulder and rolled her eyes. _She’s such a child_.

“It’s hard to believe you’re two years older than me,” she muttered under her breath.

“Why do you say that?” Claire asked as she got back into position on the other side of the field.

“Because you’re a child!” Wanda yelled so the redhead could hear. Claire’s mouth hung open as she gasped, though the corners of her lips curled upwards.

“How could you say that? I’ll have you know; I am a mature adult!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! I’m so mature, that I can beat you, and _not_ rub it in your face afterwards.” Claire smirked and folded her arms across her chest, leaning to the left. Wanda tilted her head and grinned.

“Well, in order to do that, you _have to beat me_. And you haven’t been able to do that yet.” Wanda blinked a few times and bit her bottom lip, sending back Claire’s cocky smirk.

“If you’re so confident, Maximoff, bring it on.”

Wanda stood up straighter and turned her head to the side, cracking her neck. She moved her hands to her sides, igniting the red mist around them as she intently stared at Claire, waiting for her to make the first move. Claire smiled at her as her bones broke and moved as she shifted into her wolf. She sent Wanda a low and playful growl as she took her attack stance.

Claire charged at Wanda, getting impatient. Natasha and Steve always warned her about being impatient, saying that it was better to let her opponent attack first, but she never liked being patient. Wanda smirked; she could always count on Claire to make the first move. _So predictable_. Claire charged, snapping her jaw and leaped into the air, aiming to catch Wanda with her teeth, but at the last second, Wanda sidestepped to the left and threw a red bolt of energy at Claire’s side. She yelped in surprise when she landed, looking at the brunette.

Wanda took a few steps back and waited some more, knowing Claire was going to charge again. Like clockwork, Claire turned and bounded for Wanda again. Wanda threw more energy bolts at the running wolf, walking backwards as she dodged and continued to get closer. Not paying attention, Wanda tripped and fell on her back. Claire pounced on top of her and lifted a giant paw in the air, claws extended. As she brought it down, Wanda moved her hands in front of her face. The red mist enveloping her hands caught Claire’s paw as it descended and stopped it from coming in contact with her body. Claire growled and applied more pressure, forcing Wanda’s hands down slowly. Wanda fought back, gritting her teeth; Claire’s wolf was strong. Her eyes glowed red as she harnessed more power and pushed back against Claire’s strength.

With her extra strength, Wanda pushed Claire completely off her, the giant wolf stumbling back. Wanda stood up from the ground, and as Claire was regaining her footing, she took the offensive. She ran at the wolf, using her magic to propel her into the air above her and let go, causing her to fall on Claire’s back. Claire jumped in surprise and bucked against Wanda’s hold. She ran around the field arching her back and jumping in the air as she tried to throw the witch off her, but Wanda held on tight. She grabbed fistfuls of Claire’s thick black fur, latching herself to the wolf.

Claire slowed down to a stop, panting hard. She lowered her head as she caught her breath. Wanda loosened her grip on Claire’s back, but stayed seated, in case she moved again. She leaned to the side to look at Claire’s face. Claire’s head was pointed down and her eyes were closed and her tongue was sticking out; she looked like she was about to drop. Wanda frowned and her heart rate sped up as she worried about her friend.

“Claire? Claire are you okay?” she asked letting go of her grip altogether. She leaned over to Claire’s side and lowered her head until her ear was pressed up against Claire’s torso. She listened hard, listened to the sound of Claire’s breathing and her heart beating. She knew that Claire had exerted a lot of energy—even for her—trying to knock Wanda off, and she worried that maybe she pushed herself too far. As she listened, Claire’s eyes opened and she brought her tongue back into her mouth. Though no one could see, she gave a sly wolfy grin as she leaped into the air once more, contorting her body so that she flipped onto her back, and landed hard on the ground, catching Wanda off guard as she let out a little shriek.

Claire rolled off Wanda the second they hit the ground and she turned, looking at the Scarlet Witch. She smiled, showing off her fangs while Wanda let out a groan of pain. Claire stepped closer to her and nudged her neck with her wet nose, checking to see if she was okay.

“You planned that from the start didn’t you?” she gasped, not expecting an answer. Claire nudged her again, and laid down in the grass next to her, placing her giant wolf head on top of Wanda’s stomach. Wanda panted as she waited for the dulling pain to recede. Claire whined apologetically as she realized that Wanda was hurt. Wanda accepted the unorthodox apology by bringing her hand up and scratching the base of Claire’s closest ear, earning a deep purr from her friend. They sat like that for a little while, and when Wanda’s body started to move again, Claire lifted her head and stood up off the grass and shifted back into her normal self.

She reached a hand out to Wanda who had moved from lying down to sitting in the grass. Wanda took her hand and stood up with the help of Claire. She chuckled as Wanda’s face contorted in discomfort.

“Are you okay?” she asked as the two walked out of the field, heading back to their cabin. Wanda gave her a small smile.

“I will be. I gotta give it to you; that was a good move.” 

“So was you jumping on my back.” The two women laughed as they passed the familiar marker, telling them they were on the right track.

“So, _did _you plan that?”

“Nope,” Claire said popping the “p”. “That was done completely in the spur of the moment.” Wanda laughed again, the pain already subsiding, but she knew that she would feel it later; maybe even have a wicked bruise. As they reached the cabin door, Claire stopped and turned to Wanda, stopping her also. “I just remembered something.”

“What?”

Claire smirked, her purple eyes twinkling as they shone a light purple.

“I win.”


	25. Trouble Brewing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tragedy strikes while Wanda and Claire are on an outing.

Much to Claire’s happiness, the team stayed in Victoria’s Island longer than a week. While it was a huge risk, they all agreed that the quiet secluded location and tranquil scenery did them all some good. Wanda was doing much better since Clint’s departure, which made Claire happy. For once, everything felt normal for the small group of ex-Avengers. For once, they were able to relax and take a breath. When Claire and Wanda weren’t training, they spent the time just lying around their small cabin that they shared with Jemma.

Claire, lying on the couch in the living room, let out a loud sigh as she turned herself upside down, hanging her head off the edge of the couch and her feet dangling off the back. Wanda ignored her, not looking up from the book she was reading.

“Wanda!” Claire said dragging out her name in a whiny voice. “Wandaaaaa!”

“What?” she said putting her book down and sighing.

“I’m bored!” she exclaimed.

“Why don’t you read a book?” Wanda said and picked up her book and continued to read. Claire groaned. She rotated herself and dramatically leaned over Wanda, getting in the way of her reading. “Come on, Claire,” Wanda groaned as she maneuvered her arms to situate the book on top of Claire’s slumped body.

“Wanda, help me! I’m so bored!”

“Well, what do you want to do?”

“I don’t know; help me!”

Wanda closed her book and leaned forward, placing her book on the wooden coffee table. Claire moved her head to lay in Wanda’s lap, and looked up into her eyes, pouting her lips.

“Why don’t you go for a run? You could use the exercise.” Claire sat up, looking uninterested and raised her eyebrow.

“Are you saying I’m fat?”

“No, but you’re very jittery. You need a physical outlet, so go run.” Claire shrugged.

“I’m not in the mood to run. I think my wolf is tired; haven’t heard from her much since we got here.”

“Well,” Wanda said, crossing her leg over her other one. “Do you want to play a game? I’m sure I saw some board games somewhere.” Claire shook her head. “Do you want to explore the grounds? I could go with you, and just take a walk?”

“I guess that sounds like fun,” Claire said with a smile. Wanda returned it and both of them got off the couch and put on shoes before leaving their cabin. The air was warm, but a cool breeze blew by them as they walked to the forest’s edge. The leaves of the trees shook as each gentle wisp of breeze blew by.

The sunlight filtered through the leaves, caressing the forest floor, engulfing it in a soft golden light. Wanda smiled as the tranquil sounds of woodland animals fluttered by her ears. Squirrels danced and chased each other across their path and birds sung their songs in the trees’ branches. Claire grinned as she shifted into her wolf. Nudging Wanda’s arm with her snout, Claire lowered herself down to the ground and peered up at Wanda.

“What?” Wanda asked smiling bright. Claire tilted her head, pointing to her back. Wanda, taking the hint, climbed onto Claire’s back and gently grabbed two fistfuls of black fur. Claire took off into a sprint, gliding past the coniferous trees and fallen logs. Wanda squealed, her face pink and aching from smiling and laughing. The wind whipped past them blowing Wanda’s hair everywhere and burning her eyes causing her to squint involuntarily.

The forest rushed by in a blur; the greens and browns of the trees blended with the gold of the sun and the various colors of flowers. Claire slowed to a stop as she reached a small pond surrounded by large shrubs. Wanda got off Claire’s back once she had stopped and walked past the shrubs, standing on the bank of the pond. Claire, feeling playful and silly, picked up a large stick in her mouth and trotted over to where Wanda was standing. She sat at Wanda’s feet and gently tapped her with her paw, gaining her attention, and dropped the stick, wagging her tail with a happy grin on her face. Wanda laughed as she bent down and picked up the stick.

“You want to play fetch?” she asked in her Sokovian accent, wagging the stick in the air. Claire stood up still wagging her tail and let out a bark in reply, panting in excitement. “Okay then, go get it.” Wanda threw the stick in the direction that they came from with all her might. Claire barked again and took off running after the stick. She brought it back, and Wanda proceeded to throw it again, each party repeating the process of the game.

After a few times, Claire’s head snapped up and looked behind her and Wanda. Turning, she sniffed the air and lowered her head and crouched down, locking her eyes straight ahead. The fur along her back stiffened, almost erect as she let out a warning growl, narrowed her eyes, and bared her fangs. Wanda seeing this walked over to her friend.

“Claire, what is it?” Claire took a few steps in front of her, shielding her from the intruding threat. She growled again, loud and menacing, hoping to scare the threat away, but their scent hung in the air, not taking her warning. Claire stayed put, trying to figure out where it was. She scanned her eyes and ears around them, looking for any movement, listening for any sound, but none came.

“It was probably just a squirrel,” Wanda said as she started to relax when she noticed that Claire didn’t make a move. Claire only growled softly at her, as if she was warning her; pleading with her to trust her instincts and let her handle it. Wanda froze at hearing her growl; she had grown accustomed to Claire’s wolf’s body language and various sounds and learned what they all meant, including this one. She too started to scan the area, listening for any sounds and looking for any sudden movements.

Claire was on edge; the scent hung heavily in the air, but she couldn’t see or hear anything. The uncertainty made her anxious and she could hear her wolf telling her to just run into the trees and rip apart anything that dared to move, but she refrained. She didn’t know what was out there, and she didn’t want to endanger Wanda or herself with her rash actions. She stayed still, back still hunched and fangs still bared as she growled again, letting whatever was there know that _she _knew they were there and if they continue on this path, they would pay the price.

Then, to her left, she heard it; the soft sound of a click, a hunting rifle. She turned her body more, fully shielding Wanda from view, and yelped in pain when a bullet hit her side. Wanda screamed at the sound of the gunshot, and Claire turned again, now facing the direction the bullet came from, and took off towards the trees. She roared in anger, snapping her jaw as she ran for the hunter. 

The hunter cocked his gun, readying another shot, and aimed at Claire’s chest. He would’ve aimed for her heart or her head, but that was too easy; he wanted to relish in the animal’s pain. He wanted her to suffer before he dealt out her death. Claire continued to run, ignoring the glaring pain in her side, ignoring the stream of blood that poured from the wound, ignoring Wanda’s warning and pleas to stop. Another shot rang out, and Claire’s hulking figure faltered as the wind was pushed rapidly out of her lungs. Her feet crumpled under her causing her to stumble and fall; her head hitting the hard forest floor. She barely heard the distorted sound of Wanda calling her name as she felt herself slip from consciousness, though she fought hard against the coming darkness.

Wanda raced over to Claire’s fallen body and knelt beside her, making sure she sat in her line of vision as to not scare her. She placed her trembling hands against her newest wound and pressed hard, stopping the bleeding. She looked to her left, staring into the barrel of the hunter’s gun. With a small unnoticeable flick of her wrist, red mist slithered around one of the large branches of the tree he was sitting under and pulled it down, hitting him in the head. She heard him groan and mumble incoherently from the ground and knew he would live, though she wasn’t entirely happy about it.

Looking back at Claire, she trembled violently as the blood continued to pour from her two wounds. Acting quick, she rolled the wolf over to her non-injured side and started to drag her back to the cabins, hoping the team could help.

Steve was already outside their cabin peering in through the windows when Wanda broke through the tree line dragging a barely conscious Claire behind her. She called for him, still pulling her friend along, sweaty and out of breath from the long trek back; she didn’t realize how far Claire had ran until now. Steve sprinted over to them, his eyes wide and filled with panic. Reaching them and using his enhanced strength, he lifted Claire’s body into his arms and followed Wanda to their cabin.

“Put her on the table,” she said to him once they were inside. Steve nodded and placed her gently on the dining table and looked over at Wanda.

“What the hell happened?” he asked, his voice trembling a little bit. Sam soon rushed into the room, having seen Steve carrying Claire and let out a weird sound of surprise.

“What the—”

“Wanda? What happened?” Steve asked again as he watched Wanda walk over to Claire’s body and smooth the fur around her ears. Though the two men couldn’t see her face, the sound of her sniffling and choking gasps told them she was crying—or at the very least trying not to cry and failing. Slowly, Wanda turned towards the Captain and looked at him, tears in her eyes.

“We went for a walk in the woods; we didn’t even know how far we went. And then we heard it, the sound of gun and she…protected me, though I don’t think he was after me. She was shot once in her side, and when she took off to chase him down, he shot her again in her chest.” Sam stepped towards Claire and pressed his ear against her side listening to her heartbeat and breathing.

“What did you do to him?” Steve asked his voice soft. He knew that neither Claire nor Wanda would’ve just left him alone. Wanda looked down and hid her face behind her hair.

“I dropped a branch on his head, but I made sure he didn’t see my magic, and he didn’t see her shift. She was already in her wolf form when she caught his scent,” Wanda said quickly; she was rambling now. Steve stepped forward and laid his hand against her shoulder, calming her.

“It’s okay, Wanda.”

“She’ll be alright,” Sam said, stepping back from Claire. Steve and Wanda both turned to look at him, confusion in their eyes.

“How do you know?” Steve asked.

“Because she told me.” The two of them looked even more confused, earning them an exasperated sigh from Sam before he continued. “While we were in the car when you were sweet talking Sharon, we were discussing our powers and abilities, and she told me that she has increased healing or something like that. She also mentioned having super tough skin? I don’t know; she said she was bulletproof.” Sam shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes a little.

“But…she_ got_ shot. _Twice_,” Wanda said confused as she held up two fingers, emphasizing the reality of the situation.

“Yeah, I realize that. I don’t really understand how it works, but she explained that she can still be shot and wounded, it’s just…that they’re not as fatal as they are for us? I don’t know. Like I said, this is just what she told me. You want better, you gotta ask her.” Sam stepped back again and held his hands up in defense.

Steve and Wanda turned away from him and looked back at Claire. Her eyes were closed, but she whimpered softly from the pain. Wanda rubbed her ear, hoping to at least ease the pain she felt, even if it was by a little increment.

○○○

Steve and Sam both entered into the forest, following the directions that Wanda gave them, looking for the psychotic hunter. After hearing the story from Wanda in full and seeing the scene of the incident with his own eyes, Steve deduced that the shot to Claire’s chest was intentional and wasn’t a slip or accident.

“It’s sick,” Sam said, kneeling down in front of a small puddle of blood; probably where Claire was first shot.

“The shot to her chest was on purpose. He wanted to wound her, not kill her.” Sam frowned and shook his head before standing up and walking over to where Steve was standing. He was a couple feet away from him straight ahead. Sam stood next to him, following Steve’s gaze, and folded his arms across his chest.

“Do you think he was a real hunter or could this be something more?”

“I don’t know, Sam. We’ve been careful, but…who knows? I just wish he didn’t get away, then we could find out.”

“Maybe, but if we did find him, then this _definitely _would be something more.” Steve smirked and the two of them walked back the way they came towards the cabins. Meanwhile, Wanda never left Claire’s side. She sat in one of the uncomfortable wooden dining chairs across from Claire, petting her. Her fingers delicately danced across the surface of her paw, smoothing down the fur that stood up and came out of place.

After hearing of the incident, Jemma and Natasha rushed over and helped dress her wounds. They were all sure she would be okay, but Wanda needed more convincing. She made the mistake of dozing off while she sat there and she had a nightmare that Claire’s wounds became infected and she died; that was _not _something that she wanted to think about, so she made it her mission to keep an eye out for her friend.

Jemma looked over at her adoptive little sister from her seat in the living room and frowned. She stood up and walked over to where Wanda was sitting and wrapped her arms around her semi-slumped body. Resting her chin on Wanda’s shoulder, Jemma gave her waist a gentle squeeze. Wanda perked up, but only a little, keeping her attention on Claire’s still body.

“She’ll be alright, you know,” Jemma said softly.

“I know. Doesn’t exactly get rid of the worry,” Wanda said, her voice strained and heavy.

“Why don’t you get some rest? I can watch her for now.”

“No. I can’t leave her,” Wanda said shaking her head and rubbing her eyes. “I need to be here when she wakes up.”

“Wanda, what you need is sleep.”

“I _can’t _sleep, Jemma. I can’t.” Wanda raised her voice and rolled her left hand into a fist. Jemma could hear the crack and strain in her voice.

“Why not?” Jemma pressed her. Wanda wasn’t known for being open and would often keep things very bottled up and not tell anyone when things were bothering her, even though Jemma assured her that she could always tell her when she was upset or bothered by something. Wanda sighed and removed her glazed red eyes away from Claire’s sleeping body and looked at Jemma.

“I had a nightmare.” Jemma lifted her eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. “In the nightmare, she…her wounds got infected and she…died. And I don’t want to lose her, Jemma. I _can’t _lose her too. I just can’t.” Wanda burst into tears, sobbing loudly as she launched herself from her chair and into Jemma’s already open arms. Jemma rubbed her back, shushing her, letting her get all the fear, worry and panic out of her system. She needed this. She needed to cry. She knew that Wanda never liked crying in front of people (or in general); she thought it made her look weak and vulnerable, and she didn’t like that at all.

“You’re not gonna lose her, okay Wanda? She’s going to be alright, and before you know it, she’ll wake up and everything will go back to normal.” Wanda took her head off Jemma’s chest and wiped her tears. At that moment, Steve and Sam entered the cabin. “What did you find?”

“The hunter left; he must’ve come to.” Sam strolled over to Claire’s body, close to where Wanda and Jemma were sitting. Wanda stayed sitting in Jemma’s arms as she watched Sam lean his head down to listen to her heart. Dread rose in Wanda as she looked at the giant wolf lying on the table; she normally would have shifted back by now. _She must be really hurt_.

“Has anything happened here?” Steve asked, patting Wanda on the head, ruffling her hair a little bit. Wanda felt her lips tug upwards slightly. Seeing the success of his attempt to make her smile, Steve grinned and ruffled her hair more, making her cry out with a playful yell.

“There’s been no change,” Jemma said as she watched Steve move towards the table and lean against the surface. Wanda separated herself from Jemma’s arms and walked over to Steve who held his arms open for her. Embracing him, Wanda buried her face into the front of his tight athletic t-shirt and inhaled the scent of his strong cologne and musk of the woods. Steve smiled slightly as he held Wanda in his arms and leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on her hair.

He was glad that she accepted him into her life. After the Battle of Sokovia, Steve always felt a little guilty for Pietro’s death, and he made an incredible effort to be a big brother figure to her. At times, though, he wondered if maybe he was trying too hard, but regardless of that, he was pleased that she felt somewhat connected to him.

“Is it normal for her to stay like this?” Jemma asked, her question directed at either Sam or Steve. Steve pursed his lips and looked over at Sam. Sam shrugged, crossing his arms.

“I’m not sure. Both me and Steve spent the same amount of time with her. The only one who would know besides her would be Bicky.” 

“‘Bucky’.”

“Bicky’s known Claire longer than any of us, so I’m sure she told him, but Bicky _had _to freeze his ass off back in Wakanda. By the way, how is Bicky, Steve?” Sam said, turning to Steve with his arms still crossed.

“Sam, it’s ‘Bucky’. You know this.” Steve sighed.

“I said what I said, Rogers, now answer the question,” Sam deadpanned. Steve sighed and looked away from him and over to Jemma’s confused face. Wanda, still pulled into his side, fought the urge to laugh; she had a feeling that Sam was doing this to purposefully make her laugh, and she was grateful.

“It’s ‘Bucky’, Jemma. His name is ‘Bucky’,” Steve said with an exasperated sigh.

“Yeah, it’s ‘Bicky’. B-i-c-k-y. ‘Bicky’.” Steve turned, taking Wanda with him and glared at Sam. He opened his mouth, ready with a comeback when Jemma stood with her hands on her hips and cleared her throat.

“Boys,” she said. They both turned to look at her. Wanda pulled away from Steve and stood by herself between him and Jemma. “We need to get back to the issue at hand, which is _Claire_. Now, is there _anyone _else you can think of who might know of her powers?”

“She told me that she spent most of her time in the U.S. with Bucky. She never mentioned anyone else,” Wanda said, looking down at the floor, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She pulled at the sleeves of her sweater, covering her hands and played with her rings. Her Sokovian accent sounded thicker in her quiet voice.

“Then I guess we just wait.”

○○○

The small team waited for hours, waiting to see Claire’s body move from the wooden table. They were all sitting around, desperately looking for an activity to keep them busy and from thinking about the still unmoving wolf, but nothing satisfied them, so they sat in silence.

Wanda went back to sitting in front of her, petting her paw. Her eyelids drooped and she tried to hold back a yawn, but she failed. Steve turned to her, hearing her yawn and placed a hand on her back.

“Get some rest, Wanda.” 

“No, Steve, I need to stay here. What if she wakes up while I’m sleeping?”

“She’ll be happy to see you resting and not worrying over her, no go lie down. I’ll wake you if something happens.” He brought her over to the couch in the living room and laid her down. She rested her head in Jemma’s lap, who then pulled the hair from her face and played with it gently. As soon as Wanda closed her eyes, she was asleep. She slept for a good few hours, stirred when she heard the soft sound of a whimper come from the table. She bolted off the couch and ran, sitting next to Claire’s side once more as the wolf transformed back into the spunky redhead.

Wanda smiled as the tears lined her eyes. Claire sat up from the table, yawned and raised her arms high above her head stretching and opened her eyes looking straight into Wanda’s.

“Hey Maximoff, why’re you staring—” Wanda engulfed the young woman in bone crushing hug, earning a groan and a chuckle from her. “I wasn’t gone that long was I?”

“It was too long,” Wanda said as she buried her face into her curly maroon hair. Claire chuckled again, wrapping her arms around Wanda’s waist and nuzzling her head into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her hair.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she promised, whispering in her ear. Wanda shivered a little, but her smile grew as the tears rolled down her face.

The rest of the team smiled at the return of their friend and teammate. Steve stepped closer to them when the two women pulled away and went in to give her a small hug too.

“It’s good to see you’re all right. You had us worried.” He pulled away and sent her a smile that she returned. Claire looked down at her body, bringing her hand up to pull the collar of her shirt away from her body and looked down to where the wound should be, finding nothing. She then moved her hand over to her side and poked herself as she moved her hand up and down the side of her stomach, searching for the wound. She smiled when she didn’t feel any pain; she was completely healed.

“Does it hurt?” Wanda asked leaning closer.

“No,” Claire said shaking her head. “I’m completely healed. Thank you, increased healing.” Wanda let out a small chuckle as she tried not to cry. Claire noticed her mood and embraced her again. “I’m fine, Wanda, I promise. Look.” She pulled away and lifted her shirt up enough to see where her side wound should be. Wanda leaned in closer, inspecting the unblemished skin and smiled.

“Don’t ever do that to me again, do you hear me?” she asked laughing.

“I hear you,” Claire replied.


	26. Finally, Some Hero Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fugitive Avengers finally go on a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a preface: this chapter has some violence that may be a little disturbing, so read at your own risk.  
I also used Google translate for the translations, so I'm sorry if it's not correct.

Claire was excited; after spending multiple months on the run and a few extra weeks on bedrest (Wanda’s orders), she was happy to finally be doing something that didn’t include sitting around whatever place they happened to be staying at. They had left Victoria’s Island about a week after she woke up, giving her a chance to rest—though she didn’t need it—and to ready themselves for their new lives as nomadic superheroes.

They had been all over, stopping various level threats in various places. Steve had gotten Natasha to use any of her contacts to find trouble for them and even gotten some stealthy S.H.I.E.L.D. tech that Claire didn’t understand from Maria Hill—off the record, of course—and used that to analyze threats all around the world. Steve wanted to help all people, but because of his and the team’s status as war criminals, he couldn’t exactly take on an “Avengers level threat”, so he had to settle for the smaller crimes.

The team sat in the stolen Quinjet quiet but ready to go to work. Steve had heard about a group of terrorists that were stationed in Russia that were kidnapping children from their villages. No one had heard what happens to them and they aren’t seen from again. The local police and military have tried everything to find this group, but somehow nothing worked; _They were good at covering their tracks_. So, naturally, Steve decided that they would step in after getting a tip about mysterious activity in an abandoned village in northern Russia from one of Natasha’s contacts.

Wanda sat next to Claire, resting her head in her lap, playing with the ends of Claire’s red hair. Claire stared straight ahead, her jaw clenched tight and her lips pursed, deep in thought. She was worried about those kids that were taken. When Steve suggested this mission, she was the first to be on board; this specific mission hit home for her, and she wanted to do the one thing that police of Sokovia couldn’t do for her. She wasn’t going to let those kids down; she wasn’t going to let what happened to her happen to them. Wanda sat up and lifted a hand up to touch Claire’s cheek. Upon feeling the softness of her skin upon hers, Claire relaxed her jaw and turned her eyes from the opposite wall of the Quinjet and looked at Wanda.

“Are you okay?” she whispered. Claire grinned, thought it didn’t reach her eyes; she was still lost in her head.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she lied, still smiling.

“What do you say about lying?” Wanda smirked as she threw Claire’s words back at her. Claire let out a little laugh, rolling her eyes. “Seriously, I know something is bothering you; you’ve been weird since Steve brought up this mission. What’s up?”

“This mission…just reminds me of my life. Nobody was able to save me, so I want to be that person to these kids. I just want…to do good. These powers were given to me to be used as a weapon, and I’ve never really gotten the chance to use them for good. I want to help people; help these kids. Maybe that’ll absolve me of my sins.” Claire looked down at her hands in her lap and sighed. Wanda placed her left hand over Claire’s folded hands, bringing her eyes back to Wanda’s green ones.

“You are good. You’ve _done _good before, Claire. These past few months, whenever you shifted, you shifted to protect me. That’s good, Claire. You’re not a weapon, you’re not a monster. You’re a hero.” Wanda gave her a big smile, showing her teeth.

“Cap, we’re about ten minutes out,” Natasha called from the cockpit. Steve nodded his head and stood up.

“Alright, team, get ready. You have your orders, let’s get in and out before the military gets word of us.”

Sam tightened the straps of his wings and checked the guns in his holsters. Natasha put the jet on autopilot and walked towards the back standing next to Steve and grabbed a few guns. She checked her wrists, making sure that her Widow Bites were good to go. Wanda and Claire stood up from their seats and readied themselves. Claire’s eyes glowed a lighter shade of purple and she let out a low growl, feeling her wolf stir beneath her. Steve looked at her and crossed over to her.

“I don’t know if this calls for a code ­­­alpha.”

“You know how much this means to me, Steve. I’m _not _just gonna hang back in the jet waiting for you guys to get back.”

“I didn’t say you should hang back, but if you shift into your wolf, a lot of people could get hurt, and it’ll draw attention on us.” He handed her handgun. She unloaded it, counting the bullets. “You know how to use these?” She looked up at him, looking right into his blue eyes that held the tiniest bit of humor.

Smirking at him she said, “Aim the long end at the bad guy, right?”

“Don’t forget to pull the trigger,” he replied grinning at her. He walked away from her and back over to Natasha. Wanda tapped Claire on her shoulder, catching her off guard. Wanda giggled.

“Can I help you?” Claire asked smiling.

“Don’t you even think about leaving my sight.” Wanda smiled and giggled as she spoke, but Claire could hear the seriousness in her voice. She didn’t speak, but nodded her head, silently promising to stay with Wanda.

Natasha landed the Quinjet in a little field just outside the village where the terrorist group was supposedly hiding. The team split up into groups and started searching the empty village; Sam and Natasha took the left, and Steve, Claire, and Wanda took the right. The three of them walked down many quiet streets, the only sound coming from them were the occasional pack of dogs they saw that ran by them at first glance.

They walked for a while, and Claire was starting to get annoyed. She was really looking forward to bashing a few heads kidnapper heads in. Her wolf stirred, growling quietly. Over the past few months, Claire got on better terms with her wolf, and they started acting more like a team rather than enemies.

“It’s okay,” Wanda whispered laying a gentle and comforting hand on her arm. Claire’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and when Wanda gestured to her eyes, she quickly blinked a few times, getting rid of the sudden purple glow. Walking more, the small team came across an empty bar, and Claire walked inside, inspecting the establishment. The place was completely empty, save a few turned over tables, broken glass all over the floor, and a few remaining bottles on the shelves behind the bar.

Marching over to the bar, Claire grabbed one of the bottles, looked at the fading label, and opened it, taking a long swig. Wanda shook her head as her and Steve walked further into the bar. Steve sighed a pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose.

“What are you drinking?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Tastes like Vodka.”

“You don’t know what you’re drinking, and yet you continue to drink it?” Steve looked as though he had reached the end of his rope with Claire and her antics. She shrugged and took another swig, grimacing as the alcohol burned her throat as it went down.

“Eh. It’s probably Vodka cause that’s what it tastes like.” She again tipped the bottle upwards, taking another swig of the clear liquid. Finishing her sip, she pointed the bottle towards Wanda who shook her head, declining. She took another sip, having already downed half the bottle already.

“Wait a minute,” Steve said walking towards her, snatching the bottle away from her. “Why are you drinking this? You’re twenty; you’re not old enough to drink.” Claire snatched the bottle back from him and smirked.

“I am here, pal.”

“What did you do your research before coming here?” Steve crossed his beefy arms across his chest, giving Claire a disapproving look as she finished the bottle of Vodka. Letting out a loud burp, Claire placed the empty bottle back on the shelf.

“You’re damn right I did.”

“If you get drunk or sick, it’s not my fault,” Steve said turning for the door. Wanda leaned against the bar, staring at Claire with an exasperated smile. Her green eyes rolled as Claire opened another bottle and started to chug it but held an unfamiliar twinkle that neither of them noticed. Claire scoffed at Steve, placing the bottle down on the counter.

“First of all, my core temperature on average is over 100 degrees, causing alcohol to burn up, which means I can’t get drunk.” She finished the second bottle, which was already half-filled to begin with, and placed the empty bottle next to the first one and grabbed a third. Wanda rolled her eyes at her “excuse” for drinking in the middle of the mission and Steve stopped and looked back at her. “And second of all, I _know _you are not trying to lecture me Steven Grant Rogers. Bucky told me all the illegal shit you did in the forties.”

“I only tried to enlist in the army.”

“Yeah, like five times, while lying on the enlistment forms, which is a _crime_. And if you’re so lawful, what are we doing here? Why were we on the run for months? Why are we here in secret without the rest of the team?” Steve sighed and walked to the door. His fingertips grazed the handle when Claire’s voice stopped him. “Look, Steve, I’m not judging you on your past or the things you’ve done. Believe me, I’m the last person who has any right to judge. I’m just saying…”

“I get it,” Steve said cutting her off when she paused. “Be outside and ready to continue in five.” He left the bar, leaving Wanda and Claire alone.

“Do you think I offended him?” Claire asked looking at Wanda. She shrugged and walked towards the door of the bar, following the Captain. Claire followed after her, leaving the open bottle of Vodka on the bar.

○○○

The eerie silence of the streets unnerved Wanda as her, Claire and Steve walked down them, looking for any sign of a threat. Claire walked with her nose pointed upwards, sniffing the air. Suddenly, she stopped, moving her head from left to right, still sniffing the air.

“You got something?” Steve asked. Claire turned her head to the right, sniffing some more, and let out a little growl. She moved her body to stand in front of Wanda. Her wolf sensed it before she could; the static in the air, the sudden increase in temperature, the crackling that filtered through their ears.

“Get down!” she shouted as she turned and leaped on top of Wanda, covering her with her own body, knocking them both to the cobblestone ground. Steve dropped to the ground and covered his head as a large blue bolt flew past them, hitting a nearby building, instantly causing it to explode into nothing.

Claire’s head shot up and looked in the direction of where the bolt came from and her eyes widened. Behind them, a giant black tank rolled down the empty street with armed soldiers marching behind it. The tank fired another blue bolt at the three lying in the street. Claire stood up and grabbed Wanda’s arm, yanking her up, and reached over to Steve, doing the same. The three ran into an empty building, narrowly missing the bolt as it hit another building. They ran through the building they were in, running out the back door and into the street. They could hear the tank rolling down the street behind them, firing at the empty buildings.

“What was that?” Claire asked, panting hard. She looked at the other two standing near her. Wanda’s green eyes were wide and she was standing tall and rigid. Steve’s shoulders were almost slumped as he caught his breath.

“I’m not sure, but it reminds me of a HYDRA weapon.”

“A what?”

“Back in the second World War, HYDRA developed these weapons that shot out bolts just like that that disintegrated anything it hit. I thought S.H.I.E.L.D. collected all of it.” Claire froze at the mention of HYDRA. She heard her wolf roar in anger and knew her eyes were a bright purple.

“HYDRA? I thought the Avengers took care of HYDRA.” She glared at Steve, starting to shake in anger. When Steve didn’t answer, she walked back through the building they just ran out of, Wanda following close behind, calling after her.

“Claire, what do you think you’re doing?” she asked, stopping the redhead.

“What’s it look like? I’m gonna end HYDRA; once and for all.” She let out a low and menacing growl as her wolf—with her permission—came to the front of her mind, taking partial control. Wanda grabbed Claire’s arm and pulled her back and turning her around but gasped when she saw her eyes. The last time her eyes were that bright, she lost control in the motel in San Pedro. “Let go, Wanda.”

Wanda flinched at her low voice growling at her and she retracted her arm. Claire walked past her and back outside, staring at the departing tank and marching army. She growled as her cracked and shifted, transforming her into her wolf.

The hulking mass of black fur skulked towards the marching soldiers, waiting for the right time strike. Suddenly, she leaped onto them, crushing a few unlucky souls as her sharp teeth ripped into the flesh and armor of those around her. Those that survived fumbled for their weapons, but she was too fast for them. She knocked their weapons out of their hands and pounced on them, digging her claws into their bodies, relishing in their painful screams and cried until the street was silent.

Claire turned her big wolf head upwards, listening for anymore incoming threats. She dug her feet into the ground, rubbing in the spilt blood of the men she killed between her toes; she hated to admit it, but she _liked _the feeling of blood between her toes, especially when it was fresh. A grin appeared on her wolfy face as she thought back to how she quickly ended those men; men who thought themselves above others were so easily taken down by one of their own creations.

She could still see the tank rolling further away, firing in the distance. A loud growl escaped her as she took off after the tank. She soon gained on it and jumped up to the top, ripping open the hatch. Squeezing herself inside, Claire snapped her jaw and swung her claws at the men inside the vehicle of destruction, killing them in her rage. Shifting back to her human form, Claire frantically looked for anything that could stop the tank. _Come on, I know there’s a switch or lever or button somewhere in here._

Grinning, Claire let out a happy squeal when she found the big red lever that helped propel the tank forward. Grabbing it in her hands, she pulled downward on it. The tank’s gears creaked and screamed as the giant vehicle slowed down and stopped. Hitting the big red button next to the lever, the firing of bolts stopped and she could hear the sound of fires crackling in the distance from inside the tank. Claire exhaled slowly through her mouth as she tried to calm down and catch her breath. Shifting into her wolf took a lot out of her, and often left her feeling physically drained. Climbing up the ladder and through the hatch in the roof of the tank, Claire jumped down to the ground, rolling onto her side to prevent injury from the jump.

She walked down the lonely empty street, seeing Wanda and Steve right where she left them. The lurking quiet unnerved her, and Claire felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Her wolf stirred again, sensing the discomfort in the air. The air turned heavy and warm, like a hot and humid summer day, and it suffocated her as she walked. The heat burned the back of her neck as she walked back to her small group. She paused in the street, contemplating looking back and listening to that little voice that told her to go back.

_“Nat, Sam. We’re all clear over here. How are things on your end?” _She heard Steve ask through the device in her ear.

_“We got nothing. We’re heading back.” _Natasha said.

_“Copy that. Looks like this was a dead end. We’ll meet you where we came in.”_ Claire turned around, and through the trees that lined the edge of the woods in the distance, she saw a bright orange glow. Placing her finger to her ear, she spoke into the comms.

“I think I’ve got something. I’m gonna go check it out.”

_“Do you need backup?” _Steve asked.

“Not sure, but standby just in case.” She ran the rest of the way down the street, running in the direction of the light, shifting back into her wolf to propel her there faster.

_“Copy that.”_

As Claire entered the forest, the thick and burning scent of smoke filled her nostrils and burned her eyes. She whimpered as she blinked to clear away the painful tears. Keeping her head and nose down so to not inhale so much smoke, Claire looked for a scent to follow. It was difficult with the scent of the smoke in the air, but she soon found the scent of people. _If this place is on fire, why are there people hanging around here? _She walked in the direction of the scent, making sure to keep her head down as she walked. The further she walked, the hotter the air became and the thicker the smoke was. Soon it didn’t matter if her head was down or not; she still breathed it in.

Claire froze at the edge of a small clearing when she heard the ear-shattering sound of screams come from in front of her. The light of the fire was brighter, and she could see the source. A large bonfire sat in the middle of clearing, towering at least to the middle of the surrounding trees. Stepping out of the light, Claire hid behind a set of bushes and watched as people danced around the fire, laughing and screaming. The people were armed and shot rounds of bullets into the sky as they laughed. _So it looks like our contact was right; they are here. _

She quietly shifted back and studied the scene. Two sets of guards patrolled around the makeshift camp, each in a pair of twos. They were armed with machine guns and pistols strapped to their side. She could smell the alcohol from where she was sitting, and the scent mixed in with the smoky scent of the bonfire creating a disgusting concoction that made Claire want to gag. Inside the camp, the rest of the soldiers danced and swore and drank and laughed; enjoying their little party.

She tried to count each man she saw but failed as they kept moving away and out of her vision. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a large black truck hidden by a tree, with a picture of a white octopus with a skull head and six tentacles painted in an off white color on the side of the van.

“Cap, the terrorist group is HYDRA. I repeat, HYDRA is in the area,” she whispered into the comms, hoping she didn’t give away her position.

_“Are you certain?” _Steve asked.

“Positive.”

_“Alright. Stay where you are, we’re coming to you. Make sure your tracker is on.”_

“Copy that,” she said as she pressed a small button on the side of her communication device. “Tracker’s on. Hurry, who knows what they’re gonna do next.”

_“We’re on our way, hang tight.”_

_“And Claire, don’t you even think about doing anything stupid,”_ Wanda warned causing Claire to giggle quietly from her hiding spot.

Claire continued to watch the HYDRA party as she waited until Steve came to her aide. She could take down ever man here, but it was risky; it could go sideways real fast and she didn’t want to become a prisoner of HYDRA again. _Never again_. She watched and listened closely as a large man—probably the leader—started speaking loudly to all the men present, though she couldn’t understand him. _Of course, he’d be speaking German. _The man speaking turned to another man who walked away from the bonfire and over to the hidden truck. She watched as he walked around to the back and opened the doors before stepping in. He emerged a few seconds later kicking out a small handful of children of various ages.

The children were dirty and some had small cuts and bruises along any visible skin. The man led them over to the bonfire and back to the leader. They looked frightened, and they had a right to be. Claire’s eyes widened when she saw a handful of men step up towards the children, each roughly grabbing one on the arm and dragging them back to stand beside them and she frowned when she heard a phrase that she recognized, regardless of it being spoken in German.

“Schneiden Sie einen Kopf ab, zwei weitere sollen seinen Platz einnehmen. Gegrüßet seist du HYDRA (Cut off one head, two more shall take its place. Hail HYDRA).” The man raised his fist in the air and all the men around him lifted both hands, holding outstretched and slightly raise, in response. 

“Gegrüßet seist du HYDRA (Hail HYDRA)!” the shouted. They all lowered their arms and the first man started speaking again. 

“Das Scheitern des Wintersoldaten hat uns sehr beschämt. Aber aufgrund seines Beitrags zu unserer Sache haben wir jetzt eine neue Formel, die eine neue Generation von Soldaten hervorbringen wird. Diese Themen, die neben dir stehen, werden die Empfänger dieser Formel und durch sie werden unsere Sache und unser Wille auf der ganzen Welt ausgeführt. (The failure of the Winter Soldier has left us in great shame. But, because of his contribution to our cause, we now have a new formula that will create a new breed of soldiers. These subjects, which stand beside you, will become the recipients of this formula and through them our cause and our will shall be carried out all over the world).” Cheering erupted from the crowd upon hearing the man’s words and the children cowered in fear. 

Claire’s eyes glowed and her wolf scratched at her mind, begging to be let out so she could take care of this before any harm came to the children. She started breathing heavily as her body started to heat up. A low menacing growl rumbled through her as her wolf fought for control. She was about to give in and shift, when a sudden hand touching her startled, causing her to jump. Steve’s hand came crashing against her mouth as she stared at him with wide eyes. He moved his free hand to his mouth, placing his index finger against his lips, shushing her before he removed his hand from her. Claire sighed as she looked at the team. 

“It’s about time you got here,” she whispered to them, giving a humorless laugh. 

“Sorry we didn’t get here sooner,” Steve said. 

“How many are there?” Natasha asked, looking past Claire. 

“I’m not sure. I tried counting, but it’s too dark aside from the fire and they kept moving. I estimate more than a hundred.” 

“What’s their goal?” Sam asked as he retracted his wings. Claire turned back to the fire and pointed at the children. 

“I don’t know because they were speaking German, but whatever it is, it involves those kids. I heard one of them mention the Winter Soldier, so that can’t be good.” The team nodded as they all assessed the situation. 

“So, what’s the play?” Natasha asked, sitting on the grass and folding her arms. 

“I can easily take out those men, the only difficulty would be their weapons,” Claire said as her eyes glowed as if on cue. 

“I can take care of their weapons,” Wanda said, giving Claire a little smirk. “The rest of you can get the children out of here and can act as back up.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Sam said, taking out a gun from one of his holsters. They all nodded at the plan and Claire and Wanda ran and stood behind two trees, waiting for the right time to sneak into the camp. 

“Alright Wanda, I’ll go in first and start taking them out, then you follow me and get rid of their weapons. Okay?” 

“Okay.” Claire shifted back into her wolf and charged into the camp, ripping the two guards that came her way to shreds. Wanda leaped out from behind her tree and waved her arms, channeling her magic, and flicked the guns and other weapons from the hands of the soldiers. Claire ploughed through them with ease, leaving an ugly mess behind her, but she didn’t care. Steve, Natasha and Sam ran in and started grabbing children, pulling them to safety. Wanda ran after Claire, using her magic to take down any men that she missed. 

Suddenly, Wanda turned, feeling the familiar static in the air, and dove out of the way of an incoming blue blast. 

“Claire!” she yelled, failing to get her friend’s attention. Claire sunk her teeth into the shoulder of a HYDRA shoulder and flung his body into the air towards the trees. The tank lined up, aiming at Claire, and prepared to fire again. Wanda sprinted towards her wolf and standing in front of her, waved her magic creating a large red misty shield. The blue bolt shot from the barrel of the tank and hit Wanda’s shield with an enormous amount of force that destroyed the shield and knocked Wanda back, slamming her into a tree. 

Claire turned, seeing Wanda’s slumped body against the tree and let out a thunderous roar and charged at the tank. Like before, Claire leaped up onto the top and broke through the hatch. Unlike what she did with the first tank, Claire shifted back to her human form; _she _wanted to make them pay. She stalked towards the four men in front of her who cowered in fear, begging her for mercy. Their pleas fell upon deaf ears as Claire got closer, her eyes a light lavender color. One of them off to her side, trying to be brave, reached for his gun and aimed it at her. She saw the movement out of the corner of her eye and raced over, grabbing the barrel of the gun and pointing it upwards as he pulled the trigger, and speared her claws through his body. He groaned in pain as he choked on the blood rising up in his throat and spilling from his mouth until he dropped to the floor, dead. 

The other three looked on in horror, pleading and crying again for mercy. Claire looked at them, fury burning in her bright lavender eyes. She shook her head tsking them, her red curls bouncing slightly. 

“Sorry,” she said as she stood in front of the other three, blocking their only way of escape and her claws elongating. “I don’t speak German.” And with that, she swiped her claws rapidly against each man’s throat, severing their jugular vein. Blood splattered onto her face and clothes as the men in front of her choked on their blood as they collapsed on the floor, creating a large puddle. She soon felt lightheaded as she felt the absence of her wolf in the forefront of her mind and her feet buckled. She stumbled as she lifted her shaky legs onto the lowest rung of the ladder and slowly climbed out of the tank. Steve, Sam and Natasha were already waiting in front of the tank, with Wanda standing and leaning against Natasha. Claire stumbled again and slipped off the roof of the tank, falling straight into Steve’s arms. 

“You okay?” he asked her as he held her, leading the rest of the team away from the tank and towards the van where they rounded up all the scared and relieved children. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” She looked over at Wanda and saw a long gash running across the left side of her forehead. “Wanda, you okay?” Wanda nodded her head. Natasha opened the driver’s door of the truck and sat Wanda in the driver’s seat. Steve put Claire down, standing her back up on her feet and she walked over to where Wanda was sitting and ripped off a long piece of shirt. She took the piece of fabric and wrapped it around Wanda’s head creating a makeshift bandage to help stop the bleeding. 

Wanda gives her a small smile, her green eyes dropping from exhaustion. Claire kneeled down, becoming level with her and pressed her forehead against Wanda’s careful not to put pressure on her wound. 

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered. 

“Me too,” Wanda replied. Claire pulled away and brushed her brown hair out of her face. 

“We need to start rolling out,” Steve said. “We need to take these kids somewhere safe, and then we gotta get out of here.” 

“Where do we take them?” Natasha asked, standing next to Steve. 

“We could always leave them somewhere safe and send an anonymous tip to the authorities telling them they’re rescued and safe?” Sam suggested shrugging. 

“That could work,” Claire spoke up. “Especially since we don’t know where these kids come from, and we can’t exactly just go driving around the Russian countryside. It might be our best option.” 

Steve nodded and the team piled into the truck. Natasha sat in the front passenger seat, while Steve drove. Sam, Wanda and Claire opened the back doors and sat with the kids, helping to calm them down. They drove out of the abandoned town, allowed Natasha to get out and grab the Quinjet, and continued until they arrived into another town. Driving to the nearest police station, Steve parked the truck, got out and made a call to the police informing them of the truck full of kidnapped children. Sam, Claire and Wanda bid farewell to the children, and got on the Quinjet when Natasha arrived, heading back home, at least home for now.


	27. [Groans] You Know, Life?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda and Claire watch John Mulaney.

Like always, the ride on the Quinjet was boring, and while she was physically exhausted, Claire was antsy and bored. Her leg bounced up and down as she looked around for something to do. Her eyes landed to her bag on the floor under one of the chairs on the other side of the jet. She stood up and went over to her bag, opening it and pulling out her phone and earbuds. She wasn’t sure what she was going to watch, but it would probably be what she watched whenever she was bored; John Mulaney’s comedy specials on Netflix. She loved John Mulaney and was _probably _his _biggest fan_. She knew all his jokes and could quote them whenever she wanted, though she didn’t want to brag. 

Walking back to her seat next to Wanda, she plugged her earbuds in and opened up the Netflix app. Putting in the right earbud, she looked over to Wanda, holding out the left one. Wanda smiled and took it, putting it in her ear. 

“What are you putting on?” Wanda asked, tilting her head curiously. 

“John Mulaney,” Claire answered. 

“Who?” Claire froze and whipped her head towards Wanda. 

“What did you just say?” 

“I…don’t know who that is,” Wanda said. 

“He’s a comedian and he’s _really_ funny. Trust me, you’ll like him.” Wanda nodded, trusting her. Claire scrolled through her watchlist until she came to his first special: _New in Town_. Personally, she liked _Comeback Kid _the most, but if Wanda was going to watch, she needed to start with the first one. 

The video started, and immediately, a parody of a ‘90s sitcom theme song started playing, introducing the show. 

_“New in town. John Mulaney’s New in Town,”_ John Mulaney popped into the frame with a hot dog, spilling mustard all over himself. _“He’s spilling mustard on his shirt. He’s got some papers to deliver, but oh no!” _The scene changed to a newspaper headline that reads, “John Mulaney is a Great Architect” and John made an “all right” motion with his fist. _“He’s successful, and he’s got so many crazy friends! Ooh, new in town, John Mulaney’s New in Town!”_ The shot changed to violet background and John Mulaney stepped foot on the stage, wearing a light gray suit. Claire was already laughing, while Wanda sat looking a little confused. 

_“Hi! Hi! Hello!” _John greeted the crowd with a cartoonish grin on his face. The crowd cheered happily for him. When the audience calmed down a little, he spoke again. _“__Thank you very much. Thank you very much. That’s so nice of you, I hope you’re having a good week, thank you for being here! I, uh, am doing well myself. In a couple days I’m gonna turn 29 years old and I’m very excited about that. I was hoping, uh, by now that I would look older but that didn’t happen.” _

Claire laughed along with the audience in the video. 

_“__I don’t look older, I just look worse, I think. Honestly, when I’m walking down the street, no one’s ever like, ‘Hey, look at that man!’ I think they’re just like ‘Whoa! That tall child looks terrible!’ _He slowly turned his head with a shocked expression to pantomime someone looking at him walk by and Claire and the audience laughed._ “‘Get some rest, tall child! You can’t keep burning the candle at both ends!’”_

The video continued, and Claire roared and howled with laughter at each and every joke, but Wanda just watched her rather than the show, a dreamy glint in her eyes. The corners of her mouth turned upwards into a content smile as she studied Claire’s face. When she laughed, her nose crinkled and her cheeks turned a bright pink. Her ears would wiggle just a little, barely noticeable if not paid attention to and her eyes would glow a deep violet. Her loose red curls bounced just the tiniest bit and every so often, she would snort while she laughed, which caused Wanda to smile more. 

Only once did Claire caught Wanda staring. Wanda looked down at the phone and watched the video, her cheeks turning a red. 

_“I always wanted to live in New York when I was a kid, I’m so excited that I get to live in New York. I saw New York City in a movie when I was a kid, it was called __Home Alone 2: Lost in New York__. It was a sequel to the movie __Home Alone__.__” _The audience laughed and clapped. John Mulaney smiled as he continued the bit. 

“This is my favorite joke,” Claire said absentmindedly. Wanda kept her head down but glanced at Claire from the tops of her eyes. Claire bit her bottom lip as she smiled, listening to the joke and waiting to laugh. Wanda moved her eyes to her lips and gulped; her face heating up and turning a darker red as an image of Claire’s lips on hers appeared in her mind. She inhaled sharply and shook her head; _I do not want to kiss Claire._

_“Now I live in New York and I’m psyched, but that is a stupid movie title.” _John Mulaney turned his head sharply. _“Lost in New York? The streets are numbered. How’d you get lost in New York? I know it’s kind of stupid to complain about a movie that came out 17 years ago, but I wasn’t a comedian back then. So I have to do it now. I wish I’d been. I wish I’d been a Def Jam comic when that movie came out. I would have torn it to pieces! Be like, ‘You seen this shit? You seen this Home Alone 2: Lost in New York shit? It’s a grid system, motherfucker! Where you at? 24th and 5th? Where you wanna go? 35th and 6th? 11 up and 1 over, you simple bitch!!’” _

“That’s the best joke!” Claire exclaimed as she roared with laughter, snorting loudly. Wanda laughed, a little from the joke, but more so from Claire. The audience laughed hard and applauded.

The Quinjet landed outside their current base of operations, otherwise known as their safe house in Greenville, Maine. Natasha rested the cloaked Quinjet behind their safe house and Claire paused the video, taking the earbuds out of her and Wanda’s ears.

“We can finish in my room?” Claire asked her as she went to pick up her bag. Wanda smiled and nodded. “After you get your head taken care of, of course.” Wanda had forgotten about her injury.

The two left the Quinjet and walked into the house, Claire leading Wanda into the bathroom just off the kitchen. Wanda looked at her reflection in the mirror. The wound had bled through the light fabric of Claire’s makeshift bandage, staining it a dark red. Wanda sat down on the side of the bathtub and Claire grabbed a pair of scissors and carefully cut the bandage off her head and threw it in the trash. She then grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the sink before she moved to press it against Wanda’s forehead to clean the wound and get rid of the blood stuck to her skin.

“FYI, this might hurt a bit,” she said, turning around to face her and sitting down on the tub next to her on her right. Wanda turned her head to the right, giving Claire better access to the gash and looked into her purple eyes. Claire bit her lip again as she gingerly dabbed the wet cloth against the open wound. Wanda closed her eyes and flinched, hissing a little at the sudden pain. Claire reeled her hand back and looked at Wanda with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. It just surprised me,” Wanda said, her Sokovian voice assuring her. Wanda’s cheeks burned a bright red as she cast her eyes downward, not looking at Claire. Though she couldn’t see—or more like refused to see—Claire’s face also turned a light red.

○○○

Both Wanda and Claire laughed as they continued their John Mulaney marathon. They sat curled up under a blanket on Claire’s bed watching his other special, _The Comeback Kid. _Since it was late afternoon, the sun lit up the room in golden light. Wanda glanced at Claire and the image of the two of them kissing came back and she let out a little gasp as she moved subtly moved away from Claire.

_“We had to get a dog trainer into the apartment because Petunia is a bad dog. We tell her that every day. We go, ‘Hey, you’re bad at being a dog.’ So, the trainer came into the apartment. Sorry, didn’t even walk into the apartment, walked into the threshold and went, ‘Oh, okay.’ Like she was an exorcist or something.” _Claire and Wanda laughed along with the audience. _“She said, ‘I see what the problem is.’ She said, ‘Petunia has become the alpha of the house.’ And then she pointed at me, she said, ‘You are no longer the alpha of the house.’ And in the back of my head, I was like, ‘I was never the alpha of the house.’ I turned to my wife, I was like, ‘Let’s pretend. It’ll be fun. Yes… My title of alpha, which I once had, how can I reclaim it? Because that was a thing that existed at one time.’”_

_“She said, ‘You need to show dominance over your puppy.’ These are things people say to me. I said, “How do I do that?” She said, ‘Well, let me ask you this. Who eats dinner first, you or Petunia?’ I was like, ‘Petunia eats dinner first. She eats dinner at 5:00 p.m., ‘cause she’s a foot long and two years old.’ She said, ‘No, you need to eat dinner first. Because the king eats before anyone else eats.’ Oh, yes, and what a mighty king I will be, eating dinner at 4:45 in the afternoon. ‘Look upon your sovereign, Petunia, and tremble. My lands stretch across this entire one bedroom, and I eat dinner whenever I choose, as long as it works for the schedule of a dog.’”_

Claire giggled and pulled the blanket up and closer to her neck, her hand brushing against Wanda’s and both of them let out a gasp and retracted their hands as a surge of electricity flowed through their skin at the touch.

“What was that?” Wanda asked, a little fearful. Her green eyes were wide as she held her hand close to her body.

“It must’ve just been static. From the blanket,” Claire responded with a frown.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” The TV continued to play in the background, but neither of them acknowledged it. The air became heavy and awkwardness settled in between them. The two mutually placed some distance between them and tried to focus on the show, but both of their minds were occupied with what the hell just happened. _What the fucking hell was that?_


	28. The Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Wanda kiss.

The comedy special had long ended and Claire grabbed the black TV remote from her bedside table and scrolled through the abundance of movies and TV shows before landing on a random romantic comedy. Claire mindlessly watched it while Wanda stared at her hand, thinking over the electrical surge that flowed between her and Claire. Her mind was racing and her head pounded as she thought of possible reasons for the phenomenon.

_Maybe it is just static and I’m overthinking it. Maybe there’s nothing going on. Did she even feel it? Was it all in my head? God, this is ridiculous. What if it wasn’t static? I don’t know what it could be, but just…what if it’s not static? Mama used to say that when you find the right person, you feel sparks when they touch you. Is that what this is? No, stupid girl! You don’t have a crush on Claire! You barely know her! You’re just overthinking it. It was just static from the friction of her and the blanket. Nothing else. Claire is nothing more than a friend. But it wasn’t just the shock, was it? The way she looks at me…the way she protects and defends me…that’s not normal friend behavior, is it? _

Claire glanced over at Wanda, watching her stare at her hand, her other hand playing with her rings. She did that a lot, Claire noticed, and always wondered why, though it wasn’t hard to guess why. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it, and turned her head back to the TV.

_Do I like Claire? I mean, she’s a great friend and has always been there for me, but does that mean that she likes me? Do I even…like girls? Does Claire? Why is this so confusing? God! Why can’t it be simple? How do you even know when you like someone…in that way? I guess, you’d want to kiss them, right? Do I want to kiss Claire? _

Wanda huffed as her thoughts didn’t pave the way to answers. Nothing was getting clearer, just more confusing and jumbled. Claire hummed a slight laugh as she watched the movie and Wanda lifted her head to look at Claire’s profile. Her eyes drifted down to her lips that were turned upwards in a small smile and she was once again sucked back into her head.

_I wonder what they feel like. They look really soft. No! Snap out of it! You do not want to kiss Claire! Why? It wouldn’t be right; girls can’t be with other girls, right? Well, what about Jemma and—Stop! Don’t say her name! Besides, it’s different. Do I want to kiss Claire? Maybe? I’ve never kissed anyone before. God, why are things so weird now? When did things become so weird and complicated? _

“You okay?” Claire asked, dragging Wanda out of her thoughts. She blushed when she realized that she was still staring at Claire’s lips; and she _caught _her. Wanda smiled, but her eyes still held the conflict that went on inside her head.

“Yeah. Fine.” Claire raised her right eyebrow as Wanda’s face turned red. Wanda shifted her eyes to look anywhere else than her lips, but landed on her long scar, running through her left eyebrow and through her eye down to her cheek. Claire shifted uncomfortably and turned her head slightly, removing the scar—the bane of her existence—away from Wanda’s gaze.

“You don’t look fine,” she said, bringing them both back to the current subject.

“I’m fine. You hear me?” Claire turned back around and looked at Wanda, pointing her bright purple eyes into Wanda’s breathtaking green ones. Her heart beat faster as she got lost in the soft green pools. The golden sun filtered into the room, casting its light into her eyes, mixing into the green to paint the forest outside of their safehouse. Claire smiled slightly and raised her hand to caress Wanda’s warm and blushing cheek. Her blush spread to her nose and neck as Claire ran her thumb across the soft surface.

Wanda shifted in her seat, moving closer to Claire and rested her hand on her knee. She inhaled a shaky breath as the both of them started to lean in, slow at first, until their noses were almost touching and they stopped, hesitating. Wanda gulped as her hands started to sweat and her heart beat erratically. She closed her eyes as her and Claire closed the distance between them, pressing their lips against each other’s. They pulled away just as fast, looking into each other’s eyes, before Claire leaned in quickly, pressing her lips against Wanda’s again, reigniting the kiss. She moved her other hand up and cradled her face as she deepened the kiss. She moaned into the kiss as she felt Wanda’s arms snake around her, pulling her closer.

Suddenly, Wanda’s eyes snapped open and she recoiled away, breaking the kiss. Her face was now a bright crimson and she was breathing hard, as was Claire. She touched her lips with her fingertips and let out a shuddering exhale. Her eyes were wide as she scurried off the bed and started pacing the floor in front of Claire.

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” she said looking at the floor. Claire frowned and looked at her lap, pulling her legs out from under her and pressing her bent knees to her chest.

“It’s…okay,” her quiet voice said. She swallowed the small lump forming in her throat. She didn’t want to sound hurt or disappointed or…anything that would let Wanda know that she _liked _the kiss; that she liked the feeling of her soft warm lips against her own. Wanda stopped pacing and looked up from the floor but didn’t look at Claire.

“I have to go.” She walked to Claire’s bedroom door and opened it, walking quickly down the hall to her room before Claire could react or say anything. Claire heard the slam of her door and she got up and closed her own.

She caught her reflection in the mirror and stared, watching her eyes flare various shades of purple. She breathed hard, thinking about how _utterly stupid she was_! _What the fuck was I thinking?! _She growled in self-loathing and brought her clenched fist up and smashed it hard against her mirror. The shattering sound of the glass somewhat calmed her down, snapping her out of her anger and left her with an overwhelming sadness. Claire got back on her bed and threw her head down against the pillows and released the sob that she had no idea she was holding back.

○○○

Wanda slammed her door shut and fell to the floor, leaning her back against the wood door. She laid her head against her knees as she tried to steady her rapid breathing and heart rate. She felt her body shake and her throat tightened as she gasped and choked out sobs. She slammed the palms of her hands against her forehead, her crying getting louder.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid—”

“Wanda?” a voice said knocking on her door, startling her. Wanda stopped crying and wiped her face as best she could and stood up from the floor, opening the door just a little bit. Jemma stood on the other side, her eyes soft and small frown on her face. She held a mug of hot tea in her hands and was dressed in grey sweatpants and a white tank top.

“Is everything okay, sweetie?” Wanda shook her head, new tears spilling from her reddening green eyes. Jemma pushed open the door further and walked in and placed the mug down on her dresser and sat on her bed. Wanda paced in front of her, still crying and shaking. She grabbed her right hand with her left and laid her index and middle finger along her wrist, above her veins, and felt the speeding rate of her pulse; like…Lily did back in Sokovia. Her frown grew larger; it was too fast. She needed to calm down, but she didn’t know how.

“Wanda, honey, why don’t you come sit down?” Jemma asked realizing her distress, placing her hands on Wanda’s shoulders and leading her over to the bed. She draped her arm around Wanda’s shoulders, pulling her close. She whispered soothing things into Wanda’s ear and played with the ends of her brown hair. “Take deep breaths, Wanda.”

Wanda tried as best as she could to steady her heart rate, but nothing worked. Jemma got off the bed and kneeled on the floor in front of Wanda. She grasped the brunette’s hands and held them tightly as she moved her brown eyes to Wanda’s.

“Look at me, Wanda. Focus on me. Everything is gonna be okay. Just breathe, okay? Breathe.” Wanda followed the directions Jemma taught her, breathing in through her nose for ten seconds, holding it for four seconds, and exhaling through her mouth for ten seconds, until she felt her heart rate slow down a bit. “Good, that’s good. Now I want you to close your eyes.” Wanda closed her eyes, still taking deep breaths and focused on the soothing things that Jemma said to her. After a couple of minutes, she stopped shaking and the tightness in her throat went away, though she was still crying and her heart was still beating fast.

Jemma sat back on the bed when she saw that Wanda had calmed down a little. Again she pulled the brunette closer to her, wrapping her arms around her waist. Wanda laid her head on Jemma’s shoulder and Jemma rested her chin on top of Wanda’s head.

“You okay?” Wanda gave a little nod but didn’t speak. “Why don’t you tell me what happened, huh? I saw you run out of Claire’s room and heard you slam the door. Did something happen between you two?”

“Something like that,” Wanda said, her voice dry and hoarse. Jemma let go and pulled away, getting off the bed and walking to the dresser to grab the mug, handing it to Wanda. She mumbled a thank you and took a sip as Jemma sat back down and looked over at her with patient eyes.

“Did you two have a fight?” Jemma said, gently pressing for more information. Wanda sat up straight, taking her head off Jemma and sighed, slouching.

“Jemma, how did you know you liked Lily…in that way?” Jemma sighed.

“Well, we had been seeing each other for a little bit, and we went out one night, and I guess…I was embarrassed to be seen on a date with a woman and I had an anxiety attack in the middle of the restaurant and I ran out and left her there. I avoided her for a few weeks because I was ashamed of myself and I was still questioning my sexuality, but Lily…she gave me the space, but she never once let me believe that she had given up on me. She knew I struggled and she put up with it and during that week, she would call me every morning wishing me a good day and telling me how much I meant to her and she would call me again every night telling me that she hoped my day was good and that she loved me. At the end of that week I went to her apartment to apologize and she just hugged me and kissed me told me how much she loved me, and that no matter what, she would always stay by my side. I think that’s when I fell in love with her. And since then, I stopped questioning who I was and allowed myself to be happy with her.”

Jemma looked out the window and rested her hands in her lap and started to play with her wedding band that she refused to take off. Wanda didn’t miss the stray tear that rolled down her cheek. Jemma wiped the tear away and turned back to Wanda with a small smile on her face.

“Not that I’m upset you asked, but what made you ask about me and Lily?” Wanda laughed a little, scoffing and taking another deep breath.

“I think…I think I might like…Claire. Like, in that way.” Jemma beamed at her.

“Wanda, that’s _great_! You two would make such a cute couple!” She noticed Wanda’s face fall as she made her confession, not knowing that she’s never verbally admitted her feelings or even acknowledged them. “What is it? Aren’t you happy?”

“I don’t know how to feel because I think I just screwed everything up.” Another round of tears arose in her now red eyes.

“Oh, honey.” Jemma wrapped her left arm around Wanda as she started to cry. “I’m sure you didn’t screw anything up.” 

“No, I know I did.” She was fully crying now. “I kissed her and then I ran away. I just…freaked out and left her there. What if she liked it, Jemma? What if she likes _me_? I’ve never been in a relationship before and the thought of being in one…scares me. I can’t afford to lose another person I love; I don’t want to ruin our friendship. What do I do, Jemma?” Wanda looked at Jemma, pleading for help; help that Jemma didn’t know how to give.

Jemma’s relationship with Lily was completely different from what Wanda was going through, and she wasn’t sure if any advice she gave would be applicable. But one look at Wanda’s devastated face—an entrance into her broken heart—told her to do her damn best.

“I think what you two need to do is talk. You’re both young, you both have never been in a romantic relationship before, and from what I’m gathering, you’re both confused as to what you’re feeling. You need to talk out your feelings and what you want, either in general or with each other.” She paused to wipe away Wanda’s tears and take the now empty mug away from her, placing it on her bedside table. “It’ll be awkward at first, but I can guarantee that once you talk, you’ll both feel better.”

Wanda nodded, taking in Jemma’s words of advice and pondered them. She wanted to talk to Claire, to explain her actions, but she didn’t know when the right time would be. She sighed loudly and threw her head into her hands, balling fistfuls of hair into her fists. Jemma laid her hand against her back and rubbed soothing circles.

“It’ll be alright, it’s not the end of the world,” Jemma said giggling a little at Wanda’s dramatic nature.

“Is it always this uncomfortable and awkward?” Wanda asked not picking up her head.

“Yep,” Jemma said pursing her lips. “Always has been and always will be.” Wanda let out a muffled groan as she removed her head from her hands and leaned back on the bed, laying down with her feet dangling off the edge. Jemma copied her and grabbed her hand, holding it tight. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that I love you and no matter what I’ll always love you and that I’m so proud of the person you’ve become.” Wanda smiled through the tears that welled up in her eyes but didn’t fall. Jemma leaned over and planted a gentle loving kiss on her forehead and smiled back.

“I love you too. Thank you for always being there for me.”

“Of course.” Both women turned their heads and stared at the ceiling, still holding hands. Wanda’s crying had stopped and she wiped the remaining tears and her face with the sleeve of her shirt. “So, you like Claire. Do I need to give her…you know…_the talk_?” Jemma laughed as Wanda burst into a fit of giggles.

“Jemma, please don’t!”


	29. Awkward!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward tension settles between Claire and Wanda after they kiss. Claire seeks advice from Bucky.

It was safe to say that Wanda and Claire avoided seeing each other for the rest of the day if they could help it, a fact with which Jemma understood but disapproved of, so she devised a scheme to get them talking. As the day turned into late evening, Jemma gathered Wanda from her room (after she washed her face) and led her into the dining room to join the rest of the team for dinner. Everyone was already there, laughing and joking around like normal, but when Wanda walked into the room, her eyes naturally found their way to Claire’s and the awkwardness settled into the room once more.

The chatter died down and the team shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Wanda struck up a quiet conversation with Jemma, keeping herself from looking in Claire’s direction; which was easier said than done, considering that by the time that Jemma grabbed Wanda from her room, the only open spots at the table were in between Claire and Steve. Not wanting to subject Wanda to anymore awkwardness, she volunteered to take the seat next to Claire, leaving Wanda to sit next to the Star Spangled Man with a Plan himself.

“Jemma, could you pass me the potatoes, please?” Wanda asked keeping her Sokovian accented voice soft and low. Jemma gave her a sly smirk and looked over at Claire, nudging her with her elbow.

“Claire, could you pass the potatoes to Wanda?” Claire stiffened in her seat before she whimpered out an okay. With shaking hands, she grabbed the ceramic bowl the potatoes were in, and handed it to Wanda. Her breath hitched as the brunette’s fingertips grazed her own as she took the bowl. She hoped—she _prayed_—that Wanda didn’t hear her, though it didn’t matter because Wanda inhaled sharply at the touch.

“Thank you,” Wanda mumbled when Claire’s hands let go of the bowl. Claire nodded her head in acknowledgement and went back to eating her food in silence. The rest of the dinner proceeded in a similar fashion and before long, one by one people left the table to escape the growing suffocation of the tension between the two young women.

After dinner came to an uncomfortable end, Claire walked back to her room, shutting and locking the door behind her. Walking over to her small desk, she took the old laptop that sat on top and carried it over to her bed. She sat on the bed, leaning her back against the wall and opening Skype. Steve had told her weeks ago that Bucky was out of cryo and living in Wakanda, but she’s never had the nerve to talk to him…until now. She was still angry at him for not telling her that he planned to freeze himself again, though she admitted she needed someone to talk to, someone to give advice; and for someone who didn’t have many wise figures in his life, Bucky gave good advice, though he tended to not listen to it.

She waited patiently for Bucky to accept her call, already second guessing the whole thing. _It’s probably like 3:00am or something over there. What was I thinking, he doesn’t want to talk to me._ Just as she was about to hang up, the screen blinked, and Bucky’s bearded face appeared on the screen and he smiled.

_“Hey, Claire Bear,” _he greeted her, sending her a bright smile. Claire returned it as best she could and chuckled at his little man bun.

“Hey, Bicky. How’s Wakanda?” Bucky rolled his eyes at his lame nickname, chuckling at her. _She hadn’t changed._

_“Wakanda’s okay. Wish you were here though. It feels weird without you.” _He took a brief pause before he let out a loud sigh and began again. _“I’m really glad you called, Claire. I really missed you.”_

“Yeah, well, you would’ve heard from me sooner had you not frozen yourself, you asshat,” Claire said, her voice light and playful though she meant every word. She rubbed her nose and ran a quick finger by her eye, wiping the new tear that started to form. Bucky’s smile disappeared and he looked…sad.

_“You know why I did it. I really wish you could’ve been there with me before I went under, and it’s my fault everything happened to you.”_

“No, Buck, it’s not—”

_“No, Claire. It is. I should’ve dragged you with us to the Quinjet. No, better yet, I shouldn’t have gotten you mixed up in all this at all. Had I not dragged you in, you never would’ve been there.”_ He ran his one arm across his beard and it was then that Claire noticed that Bucky’s signature metal arm was gone.

“What happened to your arm?” she asked changing the subject. Bucky let out a dry chuckle as he rolled his eyes, looking over at the stub that was his shoulder.

_“Fucking Tony Stark happened to my arm. Shot some blast and next thing I know, my body feels a little lighter, and I look and it’s…gone.”_

“Does it hurt?”

_“Nah,”_ Bucky waved her off and smiled. _“It does get a little inconvenient when I need to do normal two-armed stuff though, but what’re you gonna do?” _Claire giggled. _“So, what brings this call? Not that I’m not happy to hear from you, but why now?” _Claire sighed. She knew she had to get to the root of why she called, but she wasn’t in any hurt. She cursed Bucky’s bluntness in the back of her head.

“I need your advice.” That was all she said.

Bucky gave a slow nod of his head and said, _“Okay…?”_

“You remember Wanda, right?” she asked. Bucky nodded his head.

_“The Scarlet Witch right?” _

“Nobody actually calls her that, but yeah, that’s her.”

_“What about her?”_ Bucky shrugged his shoulders (though it was hard to tell with his left one).

“I…like her,” Claire breathed out. Bucky looked unfazed.

_“I like her too. She looks like a sweet girl.”_ Claire slammed the palm of her hand against her forehead and sighed.

“That’s not what I mean, Buck.” 

_“Well, then what do you—oooh. That like. Huh.”_

“‘Huh’? That’s all you have to say to this?” Claire raised her voice, though she wasn’t angry, just surprised at Bucky’s underreaction. She had expected him to laugh at her or maybe even get angry at her for who she was.

_“What do you want me to say, Claire? I always kind of had a feeling you swung that way, so…—” _

“What the hell do you mean you thought I swung that way? You knew I was gay?”

_“Hell yeah, I knew. Other than the fact that you didn’t fall for my rugged good looks, you didn’t really try to hide it,”_ Bucky said laughing and Claire rolled her eyes. _“Remember when we went to that diner? Remember the waitress? Blonde hair and green eyes? You were flirting with her the whole time.” _Bucky continued to laugh as Claire sat hitting her head against her wall.

“And you’re…okay with this? With _me_?” Bucky stopped laughing and looked straight into the camera, looking right into her eyes.

_“Of course I’m okay with it. You’re my best friend, Claire, in fact, you’re like a little sister to me. You know I only want what’s best for you, and no matter what I’ll support you because…I love you Claire.”_

Claire teared up at his words and a small stray tear rolled down her cheek.

_“What advice do you need?”_

“I kissed Wanda, and I’m not sure if she liked it or not because when I first kissed her it was more of a mutual thing and we broke away after a few seconds, but then I kissed her again, and at first she seemed surprised and didn’t really respond at first, but then she started kissing me back, except when we broke away again, she flipped out and left saying she didn’t mean to do that. I just…I don’t know if I crossed a line or something.” Claire hung her head in defeat as the events of earlier in the day replayed in her mind.

She liked that she kissed Wanda, and she liked that Wanda kissed her back. She liked the feeling of her lips against hers and how she wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. She liked the feeling of electricity that flowed between them as they kissed. She liked the scent of Wanda’s hair wafting into her nose as she brought her head closer to her. She liked the look of Wanda’s smile when she was genuinely happy and she liked the bright green forests that lived in her eyes. She liked how soft Wanda’s skin was and she liked caressing her cheek and feeling her relax under her touch. She liked the sweet melodic sound of her laugh and how it made her feel infinitely better whenever she heard it because hearing Wanda happy _made her happy_. She liked the sweet sound of her Sokovian accent saying her name, rolling the “r” ever so slightly. She liked everything about Wanda, from her greatest accomplishments to her greatest flaws. She _liked Wanda._

Throughout her brief childhood, Claire had her fair share of small crushes, but none of them could even compare to how she felt about Wanda. She never felt this way about anyone, and that scared her. She also worried because she wasn’t quite certain when these feelings developed. Did she always feel this way, even when she was trapped in Sokovia with her as a cellmate? Did these feelings come after their time in the Raft when Wanda opened a mental connection between them and they took comfort in each other to keep from going completely insane? Did they come from the many months on the run, knowing that she was her only friend?

_“I’m sure you didn’t cross a line. She might’ve gotten scared, but that doesn’t mean that she didn’t like it. I don’t know much about her life, but from what I’ve gathered it isn’t a good story. Just give her some space and time to come to terms with her thoughts and feelings and when she’s ready, she’ll come to you. You two should definitely talk at some point, but don’t rush her. Just give her space.” _

Bucky gave her one more smile and Claire thanked him for his advice before they signed off. Claire could do that; give her space. It would be hard because every bone in her body screamed at her to go to her, but if she needed space, Claire would give it her, as her friend.


	30. Just Talk Already

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma pushes Claire and Wanda to talk to each other about their feelings.

Wanda sat on the couch in the living room reading a book, quiet instrumental music played gracefully in the background, loud enough that she could hear it and not get distracted, but not loud enough to disturb the rest of the house. She picked the trick up from Jemma who used the technique whenever she was trying to write. The living room was empty except for Jemma who sat at the dining table with her laptop trying to write. Most of the team was out doing different errands, and those that were in the house were in their rooms doing God knows what.

Jemma paused her writing, stopping in mid-sentence and looked over towards where Wanda was sitting on the couch. She was sitting curled up in the corner, turned ever so slightly to catch the sunlight streaming in through the window. Jemma caught the few stray rays that illuminated her green eyes instead of the page, and she couldn’t help but smile. Ever since Wanda confessed her feelings for Claire, she saw Wanda in a new light. She gazed at her with admiration in her eyes as she thought back to the scared, grief-stricken and closed off girl that came to live with her and how she had grown into someone who wanted to open themselves up to the possibility of a relationship. She believed, with every fiber of her being that Wanda and Claire were perfect for each other. Although it didn’t feel like that now.

The awkwardness between the two died down pretty quick, which was a relief to everyone else in the house, but not in the way that Jemma hoped. They still hadn’t talked, and they somehow always managed to avoid each other in any possible situation. When it was time for meals, one of them would eat in their room or at a later time; if one of them was in the living room, the other waited until they left. They made sure not to run into each other when going into or coming out of the bathroom that sat in between their rooms. Claire was responsible for that; her wolf senses always picked up the sound of Wanda’s footsteps and she would wait until she didn’t hear them anymore.

Jemma sighed as she watched Wanda, lost in her own thoughts on the situation. Even though her and Wanda were definitely not related by blood, it amazed her how much the brunette picked up on her mannerisms and traits after living together for such a short time. She had come to find that Wanda was a very stubborn person, regardless of how action oriented she was. She also noticed that ever since the incident in Sokovia, whenever Wanda was faced with an uncomfortable situation, she would freeze and avoid it as long as possible, so it didn’t surprise Jemma when Wanda still hadn’t talked to Claire about her feelings. Not that Wanda hadn’t tried. She tried to do it earlier in the week, but Claire wouldn’t open the door, which made Wanda clam up and go back to avoiding it until it miraculously fixed itself. _Newsflash Wanda, it doesn’t work that way_.

Jemma went back to her writing, figuring it was less painful than thinking about the relationship status of a teenager. She was annoyed though, because this situation was so familiar to Jemma and it made her want to grab Wanda by the shoulders and scream at her saying she was wasting some much time when she could be happy. But she couldn’t do that. She understood where Wanda was coming from, and that this couldn’t be rushed, no matter how much more Jemma knew. So, she took out her frustration and grief on the poor letters on her keyboard, sending the loud clicks and clacks through the air of the safehouse.

Wanda looked up from her book, the sudden loud typing infiltrating her headspace and throwing her off her mental rhythm. She watched as Jemma’s fingers moved faster and harder across the keyboard, vigorously typing out her growing hostility. Wanda placed her bookmark on her current page and placed the book on the cushion next to her and got up from the couch and sat in the chair next to Jemma at the dining table. She laid her hand on top of Jemma’s closest hand, keeping it still and interrupting the flow of the sentence. Upon feeling Wanda’s hand on hers, Jemma stopped typing and turned her brown eyes away from the glaring white screen and looked at Wanda’s worry-filled green ones.

“Jemma, is everything okay?” Wanda asked. Jemma could faintly hear the Sokovian accent in her voice, and it pained her a little bit to hear the beautiful sound fade, evolving into a standard American accent. Jemma huffed. _“No, Wanda. I’m not okay. I’m in agony because of you and this stupid thing you have with Claire. Just talk to each other, damnit!”_

“Yeah. I’m fine,” Jemma lied, pasting on a fake smile to help sell the lie. Wanda stared at Jemma a little longer, accidentally slipping herself into her mind.

“I know you’re lying to me,” Wanda said narrowing her eyes. Jemma saved her document and closed her laptop before turning in her seat to face Wanda frowning. She knew the brunette had poked through her head—whether or not on purpose she didn’t know—but she decided not to bring it up.

“You’re right. I am lying. I’m not fine, Wanda. This whole situation aggravates me.” Jemma waved her arms around, gesturing to the invisible awkwardness and the empty room. “You and Claire haven’t spoken—let alone been in the same room in weeks. It’s uncomfortable to be tiptoeing past you two. The awkwardness is so uncomfortable that people have been filtering out of the house for hours just to catch a breath. You two _need_ to talk, and now. I know you’re uncomfortable and embarrassed and whatever negative emotion you’re feeling, but—and I _cannot _stress this enough—it will _not_ get _any _easier the longer you wait. It’s just gonna be more uncomfortable and more awkward. So please, for our sake and for yours, just talk already damnit!”

Wanda stared dumbfounded as Jemma exhaled and played with her hair. Jemma breathed out a little laugh, finally able to get that off her chest and looked at Wanda with softened eyes. Wanda looked down at her rings, twisting the simple silver band around her left ring finger. Her brother gave her that ring; Jemma remembered her telling her that one day after she asked about her different rings.

Wanda opened her mouth to speak, but the soft creaking of a floorboard interrupted her, snapping both their heads at the intruder. Her breath hitched when her eyes met Claire’s red face that was dripping in sweat. Her long red hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and she was dressed in a black sports bra with a white t-shirt over it that was a couple sizes too big and black yoga pants with black and white sneakers. A white towel hung around her shoulders and she was breathing hard. _She must’ve just gotten back from her run_.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” the redhead spoke as she backed out of the room, but Jemma threw her hand up.

“No, no. It’s okay. You can come in.” Claire hesitated, but entered the room and headed over to the kitchen area behind them.

“I’m only getting a water, and I’ll be out of your hair,” she said opening the fridge and grabbing a water bottle. Jemma gently grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving the room.

“Please stay. This pertains to you too.” Claire thought about it; the growing tension in the room smothered her and she didn’t like it, but she gave into Jemma’s pleading eyes and sat in the other chair next to the older woman, sitting directly across from Wanda. Wanda looked down, avoiding Claire’s gaze as she twisted the cap on the water bottle and took a long sip.

“Okay, you two. I know what happened between you, and I’m here to help you put an end to whatever this uncomfortable mess is since you two are incapable of doing it yourselves.” Jemma paused and looked between Wanda and Claire who were trying hard to not look at each other. “So, acknowledging the _gigantic _elephant in the room, you two _kissed_. Now that we’ve addressed this, we can move on and get to the aftermath of the kiss; your feelings. Wanda, you told me that you were confused about your feelings. Do you care to express the turmoil you were experiencing?”

“Not particularly,” Wanda mumbled, but shrank under Jemma’s unamused expression. “Fine. I was confused because…I liked the kiss. I liked how it felt and…I don’t know.” Wanda looked away. Talking about her feelings like this wasn’t something she was used to. Claire frowned a bit as she looked at Wanda.

“If you liked the kiss why did you freak out and run away?” her eyes shifted a slightly lighter shade.

“I’ve never kissed anyone before, and I’ve never been in a relationship like that before, and I don’t know…I guess it scared me. You’re my friend, Claire, and if we entered into something that’s beyond friendship and it went wrong, I don’t think I could handle losing you too.” Wanda gulped, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat. Claire’s eyes softened and returned to their normal shade.

“Wanda, no matter what happens, you’ll never lose me as a friend.”

“I’ve already lost you as a friend. This is the first time we’ve spoken in weeks. It’s already happened.” Wanda blinked the tears away and Claire’s heart broke and she didn’t know what to say. “I…I like you Claire. Like, _like _you. I don’t know when exactly I started feeling these things for you, but one day I looked at you and…I ran away from the kiss because I was afraid of my feelings; afraid that maybe I misinterpreted something or made out your friendship to be something more than it really was. I’m sorry.”

Claire’s heart beat faster and her eyes slowly filled with tears. Wanda liked her. She liked the kiss. Claire couldn’t believe it and she couldn’t stop the small smile that graced her face along with a deep red color. She let out a giggle and tucked a stray hair that came out of her ponytail behind her ear.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be laughing, but…Wanda I like you too. I guess I’ve had a small crush on you since our time in the Raft, or hell maybe even when we both were with Strucker, I don’t know, but all I know is that after seeing you in the parking garage in Germany, I couldn’t get you out of my mind, and frankly, I don’t want to. You’re one of the very few people who don’t look at me as if I’m some kind of monster. You see the beauty behind the beast, and…” she paused wiping the small tear away. “And maybe that’s why I’ve felt some connection to you and felt drawn to you. You see me.”

Claire reached forward and grabbed Wanda’s left hand, holding it gently between her own, tears glistening in her eyes and a huge smile stretched on her face. Wanda let out a choked laugh as she cried a little, tightening her grip on Claire’s hands, and beamed bright. All her worst fears melted away as she looked into Claire’s eyes, seeing the amethyst geodes that had crystalized in the dark caverns of her iris’.

Claire let go of Wanda’s hand and got up from her seat and walked around the table to Wanda’s chair and enveloped the brunette in a tight hug, pulling her up from her chair. Wanda giggled as she felt Claire nuzzle her face into the crook of her neck and Wanda did the same. Both women laughed as they cried in each other’s arms, feeling a huge weight lift off them as the tension and awkwardness melted away. Jemma beamed at them and pressed her hands together and brought them up to cover her mouth.

“Claire, I say this in the nicest way possible, please go take a shower,” Wanda said as she moved her head from Claire’s neck, but didn’t pull out of the hug. Jemma and Claire laughed and she tightened her hold on Wanda before breaking the hug and giving her a big smile.

“Sorry,” she said with a sheepish grin. Wanda laughed and brought her hand up and caressed her cheek. Claire leaned into the touch before leaving the room to take a shower. Jemma came over from the table and wrapped her arms around Wanda, hugging her from behind and planted a small kiss on her left temple as she rested her head on her left shoulder.

“I’m proud of you. Don’t you feel better?”

“Yeah. Thank you, Jemma.” Wanda turned her head to look at Jemma and gave her a smile.

“Of course, little sis.”

“You know I’m not that much younger than you, right?” Wanda asked laughing. Jemma shrugged and returned her smile.

“You’re still younger than me.”

○○○

Claire’s shower was short, and when she was done, she found Wanda curled back up on the couch with her book. Jumping onto the cushion next to her, Claire laid her still wet head in Wanda’s lap that shook as she laughed. She lifted the book to reveal Claire’s smiling face and closed it slightly, placing her finger in between the two ends to keep her place, and lightly hit Claire’s face with the paperback. Claire blinked and scrunched up her face as she let out a fake groan of pain before bursting into a fit of giggles.

“What was that for?” she asked still giggling. Wanda sent her a mischievous grin as she shrugged, placing the book on the coffee table. They settled down after a few seconds, and the two gazed into each other’s eyes as Wanda played with the damp ends of Claire’s red hair. Claire grabbed Wanda’s free hand and intertwined their fingers, caressing the back of Wanda’s hand with her thumb. Wanda let out a low hum of content, brightening Claire’s smile. “What are you thinking about?”

“Just…I don’t know where we go from here.” Wanda stopped playing with Claire’s hair, and she sat up from Wanda’s lap, scooting closer to the brunette, their faces a couple inches apart.

“We can go wherever you want us to go. If you want to move on to something more, that’s fine, and if you want things to stay the same and you want me as a friend, that’s also fine. Whatever you want Wanda, you’ll have me.” Claire pressed a gentle kiss on Wanda’s hand, sending shivers down her spin.

“I want you,” Wanda said in a hushed tone that she couldn’t explain. No one was around; Jemma went for a walk to clear her head; Sam was in his room and Steve and Natasha went out a few hours ago for supplies. “I want to take a chance.” Claire smile and her purple eyes shone brightly. She brushed her hand against Wanda’s cheek as she leaned in slowly, as if asking for Wanda’s permission. Wanda nodded her head and closed her eyes, meeting Claire’s lips. Like before, she wrapped her arms around her neck and Claire’s wrapped around her waist.

The kiss was over soon after it started, but the two still held onto each other, refusing to let go. Claire leaned in again and planted a small kiss on Wanda’s forehead before resting hers against it. She sighed contently as she felt Wanda tug her closer, pulling her into her lap. Pulling away, Claire gave Wanda space and went back to her original position and laid her head in Wanda’s lap and taking her hand again.

“Don’t worry, we can take it as slow as you want,” she whispered, answering Wanda’s silent prayer. Wanda smiled and leaned down to place a kiss against Claire’s forehead. Claire closed her eyes in content, but her scar glared at Wanda, piquing her interest. Wanda moved her hand and gently trailed her fingers over the raised scars of claw marks that ran through Claire’s left eyebrow and eye. Claire’s eye snapped open as she felt Wanda caressing the scar and her heart beat faster as Wanda’s question brought forth the memory she tried hard to forget.

“What happened? Did someone do this to you?” Claire hesitated to answer and instead she sat up on the couch and pushed her hair over her eye covering the scar and crossed her arms over her chest. She coughed and cleared her throat, doing anything to keep from answering, but she knew Wanda would never give it up.

“Umm…it happened after the first few months of me being held captive by Strucker. It was after one of the tests that he put me through; when I was done he returned me to my cell, and when I woke up, I was in excruciating pain. I know now that it was because I was shifting for the first time. I felt each bone break and shift and reattach, and I was…freaking out. I couldn’t stop it and I couldn’t control it. I felt my wolf’s fury for the first time, and as my hands shifted into paws with claws, I tried to stop it, but instead I clawed my face. After they sedated me and I shifted back, they took me to the infirmary and the doctor told me that I was lucky that my claws were spread apart and passed by my eye otherwise I would’ve lost all sight in that eye.” She paused as she inhaled.

“The scar shouldn’t even be as noticeable as it is, but the idiot doctor did the stitches wrong, so when it healed, it ended up like this.” She gestured to her scar that was still hidden behind her hair. “It’s the reason why I keep my hair so long; so I can cover it.”

Wanda frowned, and reached out and pushed Claire’s hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Claire looked at her, tears in her eyes as Wanda laid her hand against the raised coarse skin, caressing it gently. Claire’s hatred for this unseemly blemish rolled off her in waves, and each one crashed against Wanda’s heart, stabbing her. Wanda shifted in her seat, moving to sit in Claire’s lap, and rested her other hand on Claire’s opposite cheek.

She gave her a small and loving smile as she leaned forward, tilting her head to the left, and placed gentle kisses along the length of the scar. Claire closed her eyes, pushing the tears that had formed out and down her cheeks. The one tear ran into Wanda’s lips, but she ignored it as she continued to tenderly show love to something that had been denied it for years. Claire speared her lip with her teeth, stifling the sob that tried to escape. She was left flabbergasted. How could someone even stand to look at it? It was grotesque, hideous, monstrous. And yet, Wanda showed it love. Wanda didn’t cower away from it.

Pulling away, Wanda placed her hand back on the scar and looked into Claire’s eyes as she continued to cry at the gesture.

“I know you see this scar as a sign of the monster you believe dwells in you, but you know what I see?” Claire shook her head, she had no idea what Wanda saw, and something about that terrified her. “I see you. I just see Claire Stowell; a lovable sarcastic bitch who loves fiercely. Claire who is loyal to those that she trusts. Claire who on a number of times has risked her life to save me. Claire who is my best friend. Claire, the woman who I’ve been waiting for. You are no monster, Claire. You never have been and you never will be.”

Claire leaned forward wrapping her arms around Wanda in a gentle embrace and placed her head on her shoulder. Wanda rested her hands against Claire’s back, rubbing them up and down like Jemma does to help calm her down. She felt Claire’s tears soak into the thin fabric of her shirt, but she didn’t care.

“You see me,” Claire mumbled as she cried, and though she couldn’t see, Wanda nodded her head.

“I see you,” Wanda repeated in a reassuring voice. “I see you and you hear me.”

“I hear you,” Claire said, her cries turning into a soft whimper. “I hear you.”


	31. Bicky Knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Wanda visit Bucky in Wakanda.

For the rest of the week, Wanda and Claire were in a state of undisturbed bliss. They spent every spare minute together, enjoying the peace that came with being with each other. The rest of the team was ecstatic and relieved that the tension between the two young women had died, though they were unaware of the reason behind it. Wanda was pretty adamant about taking things slow, and to her surprise, Clare agreed to hold off on telling the gang the nature of their relationship (though she was sure Steve would pitch a fit for not disclosing it with him at least).

The late August Friday afternoon ticked by slowly as the two sat in Wanda’s room, lying curled up in her reading nook and staring out the window as the soft rain splattered against the glass. Wanda held Claire who laid in her lap, resting her head on Wanda’s chest, listening to the soft thumping of her heart. Wanda leaned her head against the white window frame, smiling contently.<strike></strike>

“Wanda?” Claire asked pulling Wanda’s focus from the rain, though she still kept staring. She let out a small hum, letting Claire know she was listening.

“What do you say we go on a little vacation?” Wanda lifted her head off the window frame and looked down at Claire.

“What kind of vacation?”

“Well, Bucky got out of cryo a couple of weeks ago, and I since the last time I saw him was in Germany, I wanted to go visit him in Wakanda, and…I wanted to see if you wanted to come with me since you’re…like my…girlfriend?” Claire hesitated, not knowing how to phrase it. They _were _dating, on a technicality, but Claire wasn’t sure if that made Wanda her _girlfriend_. She hoped she wasn’t moving forward too fast making Wanda uncomfortable, and she mentally kicked herself when Wanda didn’t answer for a short minute.

Wanda’s smile grew, aching just a little bit, and her cheeks turned a light pink. They hadn’t discussed labels before this, and she wasn’t sure how fast the relationship would progress if they labeled themselves as girlfriends, but hearing Claire say it out loud; that Wanda was _her girlfriend_, made her incredibly elated.

“Of course, we don’t have to go and we don’t have to label anything if it’s too fast and I’m sorry if I pushed too hard I didn’t mean to—”

“Claire,” Wanda said, snapping Claire out of her almost incoherent rambling and she craned her neck down to place a kiss on Claire’s head. Her smile was still bright as she pulled away and said, “I’d love to go to Wakanda with you.” Claire smiled and sat up, turning her body to face Wanda before pulling her into a hug. “And…I’m honored to be your girlfriend.”

○○○

“You sure you don’t want to come?” Claire asked as she pulled out Steve’s embrace. Steve gave her a sad smile, patted her shoulder and sighed. He really did want to go, but it was safer for the girls if he didn’t.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he lied. “Just call when you get there so we don’t have to worry.” Claire frowned and embraced the Captain again.

“I’ll tell him you said hi.”

“Why don’t you tell him yourself,” Sam said as he strolled out of the safehouse with two large duffle bags slung over his shoulders. As he got closer, he took one of the bags from his shoulder and tossed it at Steve, who caught it looking surprised. “You forgot that.”

“Sam, what are you doing?”

“What? I’m going too.”

“I didn’t know you cared for Bucky,” Steve said as he dropped the bag at his feet and folded his arms across his broad chest. Sam placed his bad down too and took the pair of dark sunglasses from the collar of his shirt and put them on.

“Oh, I’m not going for Bicky. I heard that Wakanda is beautiful and relaxing, and after everything I’ve been through, I think I deserve a little relaxing.” Claire laughed at Bucky’s stupid nickname. Sam heard her say it one time when they were stuck together in Steve’s stupid blue beetle and he hasn’t let it go.

“Hey Wilson, only I’m allowed to call him ‘Bicky’. I alone have earned that right. Find your own nickname,” Claire said stepping away from Steve and walking towards Sam. Wanda sighed and shook her head. _This is my girlfriend. A literal child._

“Listen Stowell, I don’t want to have to fight a child, but I will. I don’t care if you earned the right to call him ‘Bicky’ because I’m exercising my right to take ‘Bicky’ as mine. You go find something else.” Claire growled and stepped closer to Sam, crossing her arms. Wanda walked up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder, grasping it and dragging her away.

“Come on, Claire. It’s not worth it.”

“Yeah, walk away, Stowell. Not like you could’ve taken me anyway,” Sam said smirking as Claire and Wanda walked away. Wanda sighed, letting her head fall forward dramatically as Claire stopped and turned back to face him, her eyes a bright purple. Sam’s eyes widened and the smirk disappeared. She heard him swallow hard, a smirk of her own appearing on her face.

“What was that, Wilson? I couldn’t hear you.” Her voice was deep and low, piercing Sam’s core. He shivered as the resonance trailed down his spine.

“I said ‘Bicky’ is yours.” 

“Thank you,” she said, her eyes and voice returning to normal. She turned back around and followed Wanda to the Quinjet, mentally high-fiving her wolf and biting her lip to keep from laughing as Wanda shot her a disapproving glare, though she could see the amused smile that fought to grace her lips.

○○○

The flight to Wakanda was relatively quick since Wanda and Claire spent the time talking quietly to each other, listening to music, and watching episodes of _Friends_ on Claire’s phone. Personally, Wanda wasn’t a fan and didn’t find the sitcom funny, but she endured it knowing that Claire liked it. Instead, Wanda watched Claire as she became engrossed in the show. Her nose scrunched up as she giggled at one of Joey’s antics. Wanda leaned over and placed her head against Claire’s shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the sweet sound of Claire’s giggle.

Steve looked over at the two and smiled. Sam followed his gaze and lightly hit Steve’s arm, nodding in their direction.

“Seems they made up,” he whispered. Steve nodded his head.

“Yeah, seems like it.”

“You know what happened?” Steve shrugged and frowned.

“Nope. You?”

“Nada,” Sam said, turning away from the girls. “But whatever happened, something’s different now.”

“Different how?”

“Well, look at them; they seem happier. And they’ve practically been inseparable. Whatever happened, it changed them for the better.” Steve smiled and turned his eyes towards them again but flinched a little when he met Claire’s purple eyes staring back at them. She took out her head phones and placed them and her phone on the seat next to her. She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at Steve and Sam.

“You guys don’t know how to mind your own business do you?” Her voice was soft and low, but loud enough for them to hear her.

“Claire we weren’t saying anything bad, it’s just—” Claire cut Steve off, shushing him and gestured over to Wanda sleeping soundly against her shoulder. Steve nodded in understanding and lowered his voice. “We’re just glad you two worked things out. We were all worried about you two.”

Claire nodded her head, understanding the Captain’s words and leaned her head back against the wall, the low hum of the jet relaxing her and lulling her into a comfortable sleep.

She wasn’t sure how long she slept, but a soft poking in her shoulder pulled her from her sleep. Opening her tired purple eyes, Claire looked to her left to see the familiar smug face of Sam staring down at her. He was holding his duffle bag over his shoulder in one hand and hers and Wanda’s in the other.

“Good morning Sleeping Beauty,” he said smiling brightly.

“Sam, I swear to God you better have a good reason for waking me up,” Claire threatened as she sat up straighter, stretching her back. She felt Wanda stir from the movement before she heard her soft tired voice.

“What’s going on?”

“I hope this is good enough for you; we’re here.” Sam tossed the bags onto her lap before chuckling and walking away off the jet. Claire took the bags and stood up, stretching again before she reached a hand out to Wanda, who took it and smiled. Claire passed Wanda her bag and the two of them walked off the jet and onto a platform in front of the palace. Before them stood the King of Wakanda, T’Challa and a younger woman who smiled warmly at them, and the king’s guard.

Once they were all off the jet, Steve walked forward and shook T’Challa’s hand.

“Thank you for doing this; all of it. It means a lot to me,” he said. T’Challa smiled and patted Steve on the shoulder.

“Of course, Captain. Wakanda was happy to help.” Steve turned towards the rest of the team and gestured to T’Challa.

“I’m sure you all remember T’Challa.” Sam and Claire nodded their heads, remembering their encounters.

“Your highness,” Claire said in respect as Sam gave a nod of acknowledgement. Steve turned back to the young king.

“I’m not sure if you know Wanda,” he said, gesturing to the brunette. T’Challa shook his head and walked over to her, holding out his hand.

“I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure,” he said. Wanda took his hand and shook it, sending him a small smirk.

“I’m sure you’d know me if you saw me,” she said, summoning her red magic around their hands, the red mist twirling up and around T’Challa’s arm. She saw the guards start to move towards them, but stopped when T’Challa raised his hand, insisting that she wasn’t harming him.

“Ah, the Scarlet Witch,” he murmured as the mist disappeared. “I have heard about you in Lagos.”

“Please allow me to apologize. I didn’t mean—” T’Challa held up his hand, stopping her.

“It is alright. I understand that it was not your intention.” He turned away from her and looked at the others. “I’m sure you’re all in a hurry to rest after your flight. If you would follow me.” T’Challa moved to lead the small band of heroes to their rooms when the younger woman spoke up, stopping him.

“Maybe you’d like to introduce me first, brother,” she said, smirking at him. She walked over towards the small team, hand out-stretched, and before T’Challa could introduce her, she said, “My name is Shuri, scientific genius.” T’Challa playfully glared at her as she shook hands with each one of them.

“Scientific genius, eh? So, what? You’re as smart as Tony Stark or Bruce Banner?” Claire asked as she shook Shuri’s hand. Shuri laughed hard holding her stomach.

“Please, I am smarter than those stupid white boys.” Claire smiled and looked over at Wanda.

“I like her.” Wanda rolled her eyes and smiled back.

○○○

Claire pulled the curtains back, opening the room up to the beautiful landscape of Wakanda. The bright yellow sunlight streamed into the room, bathing it in its soft glow. She sighed as she looked out over the inner city filled with marketplaces and other buildings and towards the mountains and fields. Wanda walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around Claire’s waist and laid her chin on her shoulder, staring out at its beauty.

“It’s beautiful,” Claire murmured leaning back into Wanda’s embrace. Wanda nodded her head.

“Not as beautiful as you,” she whispered in her ear. Wanda shivered as she felt Claire vibrate slightly as she laughed. Claire turned around in Wanda’s arms and draped her arms around Wanda’s neck.

“You’re so cheesy,” she giggled, blushing a little bit. Wanda chuckled and kissed her forehead. Claire pulled her close, resting her head against Wanda’s and looked into her eyes. A smile soon appeared on both of their faces as Claire lovingly kissed Wanda. The kiss was short, but sweet, leaving both of them blushing. Pulling away, Claire cleared her throat, all of sudden filled with an incredible sense of nervousness. Wanda tensed at Claire’s sudden change in mood but looked at her with concern. Claire stepped to her side and walked behind her, pacing a little as she started to bite at her fingernails.

“Wanda, there’s something I want to talk to you about,” she said, feeling her seemingly strong voice waver as the anxiety rocked her. Wanda stood waiting for Claire to finish her thought. “I know you said you wanted us to go slow, and I respect that, but one of the reasons that I wanted to come here was so I could…introduce you to Bucky. As my girlfriend. I understand if that’s too fast for you, and I’m sorry, but…after everything Bucky did for me, I wanted him to be the first person we told.”

Wanda smiled and pulled the redhead into a hug, running her fingers through her curly hair.

“I don’t mind telling Bucky, but I just want you to know, that he won’t be the first person who knows. Jemma already knows about us,” Wanda laughed as she heard Claire sigh in relief.

“She doesn’t count, we didn’t tell her. She just assumed,” Claire said laughing too. She sighed, relaxing in Wanda’s soft embrace and buried her head in her brown hair. “You’re the best. You know that?”

“I do now.” Wanda trailed her hand up and down Claire’s back, hearing her giggle in response.

A loud knock on their room door startled them, causing them to suddenly pull away from each other, their faces turning a deep red. Steve and Sam’s head peaked into the room before they opened it wider, letting themselves in.

“Hey, we just wanted to see when you guys were planning on seeing Bicky,” Sam said. Steve sighed and rolled his eyes; Wanda and Claire smiled.

“We were planning on going now, right?” Wanda asked, looking at Claire for confirmation. Claire nodded, looking at Steve.

“Okay. Do you mind if we come with you?” Steve asked, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Claire shifted her weight to her left foot and nibbled on her bottom lip, feeling nervous again.

“Actually, Steve, there’s something that I need to tell Bucky and I would rather if we had some time alone. I hope you don’t mind.” Claire tensed as she saw Steve’s face drop a little before he gave her a small smile.

“No, no. It’s fine. You go. Don’t worry about it.” Claire nodded and walked towards the door, Wanda following behind her.

T’Challa led the two women through the African city and into the countryside, past many farms and tribes. The anxiety crept up on Claire the closer they got to small hut by the side of a small lake. She worried how Bucky would react; he seemed happy for her when she told him how she felt about Wanda or at the very least indifferent, but this was different. They were _dating_ now, which is completely different than her liking someone. She was worried that even if he was happy she was dating, he wouldn’t like or approve of Wanda (not that she wanted or needed his approval, but it would be nice to have since he was like a brother to her).

Wanda, sensing her discomfort, discreetly grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Claire smiled a little, though it did nothing to ease her nerves. Her heart pounded against the walls of her chest with each step forward, carrying her closer and closer to the small stone hut. Bucky walked out, wearing a Wakandan red robe with a blue sash tied around his neck covering his missing arm. His hair was longer than Claire remembered it and his beard grew thicker. He walked through the grass to a small gated corral with a tiny herd of goats. Opening the gate, he stepped in, the flock instantly bounding over to him.

He chuckled as he grabbed a burlap sack from one of the posts and walked into the center of the corral. The goats baaed in various volumes, pining for his attention.

“Oh yeah? That’s interesting,” Bucky said, talking to the goats. “Well, if you would just wait, then you’ll get your food. Hold on a second.” He took the sack and dumped some feed into the trough. The goats ran over and dug in, making a small mess as the feed fell out of their mouths and into the grass. Bucky placed the burlap sack back around the gate post and walked through the gate, leaving the corral. He stopped when he heard the growing footsteps of the group.

He looked up in their direction, meeting Claire’s eyes as they got closer. She turned her face away from Bucky and looked into the grass. Her heart beat louder and louder, echoing and radiating through her chest and the rest of her body, making her think the goats could hear it from their little corral. Wanda’s grip on her hand tightened, feeling her anxiety roll off her in a monumental wave. Wanda stopped walking, gently pulling at Claire, stopping her too. She leaned close to her, her lips grazing her ear.

“It’s alright. Try to calm down,” she whispered, sending her a reassuring smile before she continued walking, catching up with T’Challa.

Bucky walked in their direction, closing the distance between them, stopping when they were only a couple of feet apart. He smiled when he saw Claire and held out his arm, opening himself up to hug her. She returned his smile and walked forward, wrapping her arms around his torso and pressing her head against his strong chest. He chuckled as he used his one arm to pat her on the back.

“It’s good to see you, Claire,” Bucky said as Claire pulled away from him.

“It’s good to see you too, Buck.” Claire smiled as T’Challa and Wanda stood back.

“Well, I’ll leave you all to talk,” T’Challa said as he started to walk back. Wanda thanked him as he left and turned back to watch Claire and Bucky.

Bucky and Claire walked back towards Wanda, stopping in front of her. Claire stepped to the side, standing between Wanda and Bucky and looked between them. She raised her hand, gesturing to Wanda while looking at Bucky.

“This is Wanda,” she said as Wanda smiled and stepped closer, holding out her hand. He reciprocated, grabbing her hand and giving it a slight squeeze, shook it as he flashed her a warm smile.

“Hey. I remember you from Germany,” he said.

“Yeah. It’s nice to actually meet you, and not in a fight,” Wanda said letting go of his hand. Bucky chuckled and placed his hand on his hip.

“So, what brings you guys here?” Bucky asked, looking over at Claire.

“You, actually. We came to see you.”

“Me? Why?”

“Do I have to have a reason to want to see my best friend?” Claire asked, pouting playfully, earning a chuckle from Bucky as he pulled her back into him for another hug.

“Of course you don’t need a reason. I’m glad you’re here. I missed you.” He kissed the top of her head as she pulled away.

“I missed you too, Bicky.”

“Come on. We can catch up inside,” he said as he nodded his head towards his hut, leading the way. They followed close behind him. Entering the hut, Bucky grabbed three cups and a pitcher and poured some water into one of the cups. “You guys want some water?”

The two of them shook their heads, and Bucky grabbed his cup and took a seat on the mat on the floor. Placing the cup on the floor, he gestured to the mat. Wanda and Claire followed his move and sat on the mat next to each other, facing Bucky. He picked up his cup and took a sip, his eyes not leaving theirs. They were quiet for a few moments, neither one not really sure what to say.

“So…what’s up?” Bucky asked, finishing his water. Claire shifted uncomfortably, feeling the suffocating anxiety once more. It was now or never. Claire took a deep breath and looked at Bucky.

“There’s…something I need to tell you,” she said. She was grateful that she was sitting cross-legged otherwise she would be bouncing her foot, displaying how nervous she was. Bucky widened his eyes as if he was telling her to continue. “Wanda and I…are dating.” She breathed out; a sense of relief filling a small part of her. She was glad that she got it out, but she was still worried about how Bucky would react. Bucky was quiet; he moved his eyes quickly between the two women in front of him.

“Say something,” Claire said, her voice cracking as she started fearing the worse. Wanda grabbed onto her hand, running her thumb across the top of her hand and interlocking their fingers. She gulped and couldn’t help herself as she slipped into Bucky’s head, reading his thoughts. Bucky turned his gaze to her and stared into her eyes, his brows furrowing ever so slightly. He could sense her in there, picking through every nook and cranny of his brain, searching for some sort of giveaway to what he was thinking; but he wasn’t new to this mind game and had built up mental defenses. He hid behind his mental walls, watching as the scarlet intruder filtered through his mind, ignoring the walls.

He smirked at her as her green eyes changed to a deep scarlet as she pushed her magic.

“That’s not gonna work on my,” he said chuckling. Wanda’s eyes changed back to their normal color and he felt the magic slither out of his mind. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Claire Bear.” He looked at Claire, shrugging.

“Don’t know what to say? Tell me if it’s okay with you,” Claire said, her voice getting loud and her eyes changing to a lighter shade. Wanda gripped her hand tighter and moved closer to rest her chin on Claire’s shoulder.

“Steady,” she whispered. Claire ignored her and stood up and stared at Bucky, ripping her hand from Wanda’s. Her eyes flashed various shades of purple as she wrestled with her wolf to control her growing anger and anxiety. Bucky stood up too, completely relaxed and unfazed by Claire’s temper. Wanda too stood and took a couple steps back, preparing herself in case Claire accidentally shifted.

“Why do you need my approval?” Bucky’s calm voice asked her. Her nostrils flared at his question.

“I don’t _need _your approval. I’m adult and am free to date whoever I want.”

“Then why do you want me to say it’s okay?” Claire’s eyes flashed once more before settling to their normal shade, tears forming as she looked at Bucky’s face. Memories of the two of them sitting in their apartment eating pizza, laughing, and watching TV came to the forefront of her mind. She remembered him acting more like a family to her in the short time that they’re known each other than her real family had for 16 years of her life. She remembered how Bucky alone was there for her, sitting with her through every mental breakdown and panic attack she had after her escape from Strucker. She remembered when Bucky almost killed the men that probably would’ve raped her and left her for dead in the streets, not knowing who she was. She remembered that before Wanda, Bucky was the only one who saw her as a person instead of a monster or a weapon. She remembered how Bucky meant the world to her, and after everything they’ve been through, she didn’t want to risk the possibility of losing him. She didn’t want to have to choose between him and Wanda; an impossible choice.

Claire blinked back the tears, refusing to let them fall, her heart aching in embarrassment, though she knew Bucky had seen her in far worse shape. She took a shaky breath as she steadied herself before bringing her eyes back to his striking blue ones.

“You’re my only family, Buck. You’re like a brother to me—no, strike that—you _are _my brother, and I want you to say that me being with Wanda is okay because I can’t stand to lose you too. I lost my family when Strucker kidnapped me. When I escaped, I thought that there was nothing left for me in this world. Then you saved my life and I met you. You’ve helped me through every panic attack, every meltdown, every existential crisis, every depressive episode. I’m asking if this is okay because I want nothing more than to make you proud, and it would mean the world to me if my _brother _liked my girlfriend.” She sighed before she continued. “I don’t need your approval, Bucky because no matter what you say, I’m still gonna be with Wanda, but…hearing you approve my first relationship would make me happy.”

Bucky remained silent, pondering the redhead’s words. He never knew she felt this way about him, despite their close relationship. A bright and joyous smile crept onto his face as he walked forward and wrapped his arm around Claire causing her to wrap her arms around him in return. At that moment, the dam burst, and Claire couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. She shoved her face into the middle of his chest, her tears staining the fabric of the robe. He held her as she cried, occasionally patting her back and rubbing soothing circles to help her calm down. Before he knew it, Claire stopped crying and pulled away from him, wiping away her tears.

“Claire…there is nothing, and I mean this, nothing that you can do that will turn me away. I love you, and I’m so glad that you found someone for you to love and who will love you in return.” Claire smiled at him, and Bucky returned it and turned his attention to Wanda who was standing a couple of paces off to the side. Bucky walked away from Claire and over to stand in front of Wanda. “And you: if I find out that you hurt her…”

“I’m sure she’ll take care of it for you,” Wanda said smirking and sending a wink to Claire who snorted a laugh. Bucky’s smile grew and he turned to face Claire.

He smirked and stuck his thumb out, pointing at Wanda and said, “I like her.”

Claire squealed in happiness as she skipped over to Wanda, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug, catching the Scarlet Witch off guard. Wanda let out a surprised squeal as Claire tackled her, but soon giggled at her and wrapped her arms around her. When Claire pulled away, she planted a kiss on Wanda’s cheek which turned a dark pink.

“Am I the first to know?” Bucky asked as he chuckled at them.

“Technically no, but you’re the first that we’ve told,” Wanda said as she snaked her arm around Claire’s waist. Bucky nodded in understanding.

“Thank you; both of you. For telling me. I’m honored to be one of the first people who know.”


	32. I Shouldn't Have Said That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After talking with Bucky, Wanda remembers her time in the Raft and has a really bad panic attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanda suffers from PTSD and has a panic attack relating to this. I just wanted to warn that this chapter may be triggering.

The uneasiness that Claire felt before telling Bucky about her and Wanda dating subsided as their afternoon together progressed. Much to Claire’s delight, Bucky and Wanda were getting along well, spending the afternoon laughing at various stories of Claire doing something stupid (and in case you didn’t know, there were a lot of those). Bucky’s roar of laughter pulled Claire out of her thoughts and back into the conversation of Wanda telling a story on how Claire shifted into her wolf during a fight one time and ended up chasing her tail.

“Did you really do that Claire?” Bucky laughed, slapping his knee. Claire rolled her eyes but gave a small amused smile.

“Yeah, but in my defense, the fight was over.” Bucky laughed harder and fell over now lying on the floor of the hut.

“You really haven’t changed a bit you know that Claire Bear?” Bucky said sitting up and coughing a bit as he tried to stop laughing. Claire rolled her eyes again as Wanda leaned over bumping her arm with her elbow.

“So, now that you two are here, I wanted to take the time to apologize for what happened in Germany,” Bucky said, suddenly turning serious. Wanda frowned and looked down at her lap, her left hand reaching up to touch the still visible scar that ran around her neck. Claire grabbed her right hand, squeezing a bit, but kept her eyes on Bucky.

“You don’t have to apologize, Buck. It’s not your fault we were arrested.”

Bucky shook his head and said, “But it is. Claire, I shouldn’t have brought you in with me and I’m sorry you took the fall for me. And Wanda…” Wanda lifted her tear stained eyes to meet his. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more to protect you.”

Wanda inhaled a shaky breath, but the air was stale and heavy and no matter how hard she tried to breath, there wasn’t enough entering her body. Her lungs screamed at her in panic as the air in the hut suffocated her from the inside. She stood up from the floor, mumbling an excuse me, and ran out of the hut, down a small man-made path in the grass.

After walking—or rather running—down the small path, Wanda came across a large tree standing in the center of a circle of flower bushes that surrounded the tree completely except for a little space that acted as an entrance. On the grass inside the circle and in front of the tree sat little pottery dishes with candles of various lengths, sitting in dried melted pools of their own wax, implying that they have been lit many times. A small multi-colored woven rug like the one in the hut laid on grass towards the entrance of the little sanctuary. Looking up, Wanda saw a bunch of scattered paper lanterns hung on the low hanging branches. The whole setup looked rather peaceful and Wanda’s accelerating heart calmed as the soft wind blew against hidden sets of windchimes, creating a harmonious sense of ease.

Wanda sat down on the rug, tucking her legs under her, and stared at the large tree, studying it. In the center was a large cutout of a hole, and inside were more smaller candles and a book of matches. Wanda took deep breaths as she though back to Bucky’s apology and the resurfacing of the suppressed memories of her time in the Raft. Her left hand flew up to her neck, feeling the divot of the scar where the collar cut into her skin, her fingers wrapping around her neck, following the scar. Tears stung her eyes and she shook as a phantom shock flowed through her, frying her nerves. She couldn’t move her arms and the hand around her neck tightened as she began to cut off the air. She could still hear Ross’s voice, questioning her for information, threatening to fry every nerve in her body unless she told him where Steve and Bucky went.

She gasped as the skin on her side below her ribs ached as she remembered the tough combat boots of the guards kicking her as they beat her when she didn’t give them the information that they were looking for or when they were bored and wanted something to do. The aches kept coming, her grip getting tighter, and the tears kept streaming down her face as her free hand stayed frozen in her lap, the invisible straitjacket preventing her from defending herself.

Her loud sobs came out forced in painful sputters as she choked by her own hand, but no matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t move either of her hands. The thump of her pulse beneath her hand became erratic, pounding hard and fast against her skin. Her body trembled vigorously. She couldn’t see her surroundings as the tears clouded her vision, but she could’ve sworn she saw the towering figure of Ross looking down at her. Despite the sound of her own choking breaths, she heard him speak to her, again threatening her. The phantom shock increased in voltage, releasing a painful choked scream as it coursed through her body. A cry shouted at her in the distance, but she couldn’t hear it, only focusing on the invisible pain.

A dull continuous ache formed in her head caused by the lack of oxygen. In addition to the extra pain that she felt, her mind became clouded and light, almost weightless. As her already strong grip on her throat became stronger and tighter, black spots appeared in her teary vision. Her shallow and shaky breaths became lessened until she wasn’t breathing as much as she should have been. Her body swayed a bit, her hands staying where they had been. The voice in the distance grew louder and sounded closer. Wanda fell back on the grass, her still clouded vision staring up into the branches of the tree in front of her, her left hand still around her neck and her right hand still frozen in her lap. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she fought to keep them open, ultimately losing the battle and falling unconscious as she continued to asphyxiate herself.

Claire rushed down the path following after Wanda, soon reaching the small grove and fell at Wanda’s side. Panic and fear exploded in her as she sat beside Wanda’s unconscious body with her hand still grasping her neck tightly. Claire reached out to grab her hand and wrestled it away from her neck, freeing her from herself and allowing oxygen to once again flow properly in her. After a few moments of her not moving, Claire started to cry as she stared to fear the worst. _What if I’m too late? How long had she been here like this? I can’t lose her; not now. It’s all my fault. _Claire stroked her hair, pulling the strands away from her face as the tears fell, her heart breaking.

Wanda needed a help, a doctor or somebody, and Claire knew she had to take her to get help, but she couldn’t trust her strength. Not now, not with Wanda like this. Bucky ran into the grove a couple minutes after Claire arrived, looking pained and worried. He knelt down on the other side of Wanda, looking between her face and Claire’s. Claire held onto Wanda’s left hand, holding it close to her chest, her heart thumping against the walls of her chest almost as if it tried to reach her hand. Bucky leaned his head down, resting his ear against her chest.

“She’s still alive,” he said after a minute, picking his head back up and looking at Claire, her purple eyes turning red. “We should get her to somewhere safe and find help.”

Claire knew he was right, but she couldn’t find the strength to pull away from her. She heard him, but she couldn’t move her eyes away from Wanda, afraid that she’ll slip away; crumble to dust and blow away in the wind if she took her attention off her for a few seconds. And in her defense, Wanda passed out when she wasn’t looking, so who’s to say she wouldn’t disappear if she let her out of her sight again?

“Claire!” Bucky yelled, snapping her out of her trance, her eyes moving towards him, tears still welling up in her now red eyes. Two visible wet streaks trailed down from her eyes all the way to her chin. Bucky moved to stand, anchoring his feet into the grass beneath him, preparing to help move Wanda. “We need to move her. She needs help.” Claire nodded and grabbed her arm, carefully hoisting her up as she stood from the ground, Bucky’s arm grabbing her other side, helping to steady her.

Claire let go, once making sure that Bucky had her, and shifted into her giant wolf. She knelt back down in the grass, lowing herself so Bucky could help lift her onto Claire’s back. Once she was on and wouldn’t fall if he let go, he hoisted himself up and pulled Wanda into him, securing them to Claire. She took off, running quickly back to the palace, though she kept a watchful eye on the two, afraid that she or Bucky (or both would fall off).

A loud alert blared through the city as Claire’s giant black wolf ran through the streets towards the palace. Racing out as they arrived, Steve and Sam stood T’Challa and his guards, the young king looking in shock and worry at seeing the large wolf again. Claire skidded to stop and Bucky jumped off, pulling Wanda down to him once he was back on the ground with Claire shifting back soon after, grabbing Wanda and lifting her up and holding her bridal style. Steve and Sam ran forward, trying to take Wanda from Claire who only hissed that she had it covered. Walking forward, Claire stopped when she stood directly in front of T’Challa, her eyes holding pain and asking for mercy.

“Please, she needs help.”

T’Challa nodded at her and turned to his guards, barking orders in a language unknown to Claire. He turned back to her and gestured to follow him, running back inside the palace leading them to the infirmary. Upon their arrival, a male nurse approached Claire and took Wanda from her arms and walked away, placing her in a bed in a room. Claire growled as her wolf started to emerge, surging with protectiveness of Wanda. She tried to follow, but Steve came from behind her and grabbed her waist, pulling her towards his chest. Claire growled louder and screamed at him to let her go, tears forming in her eyes as she became hysterical. She flailed her arms and legs as she tried to escape Steve’s hold on her, even going so far as to hit him, hoping he’d drop her. 

A nurse sped over to them, holding a small bottle and a needle and looked at Steve apologetically. He sighed and nodded, felling his grip on her loosen as she bucked and thrashed in his hold. The nurse injected the needle into the bottle and after second, pulled it out, and walked closer to Steve and Claire. She then pricked Claire’s skin, injecting the contents of the bottle—a sedative—into Claire’s body. Within a few short moments, Claire’s moving and thrashing slowed as the medicine started taking affect. Her eyelids grew heavy and her body felt like it was being weighed down. She heard her wolf growl angrily when she realized what was happening, but Claire was too tired to fight against it. She went limp in Captain America’s arms, his hold tightening as all her weight fell upon him, though he barely noticed.

Steve picked her up, his left hand under the back of her neck and his right under her legs where her knees bent, and carried her over to a small couch against the wall where they came in. Sam and Bucky followed behind him, looking on in sadness. Bucky sat beside her when Steve put her on the couch and he sat on the other end of her. Bucky looked down at her sleeping face, the peace being a sharp contrast to the turmoil and misery she had just exhibit minutes ago. Bucky readjusted her head to lay in his lap rather than the surface of the couch and played with her long red hair. Sam stood with his back pressed against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. Steve removed her shoes from her feet, and leaned back in his seat, running a hand down his face.

“What happened?” he asked, directing the question to Bucky, though his eyes stared straight ahead. Sam turned his head, looking at Bucky as he waited for him to answer. Bucky sighed and removed his hand from Claire’s hair, rubbing his beard.

“I don’t know,” he mumbled. Sam scoffed and pushed off the wall.

“You come running back here with one girl passed out and the other damn near in hysterics. You’re gonna have to do better than I don’t know,” Sam said, his eyes hard and his voice stern and aggravated. Much like he was with most of the Avengers, Sam was very protective of Wanda and was very close with her, the same being said for Claire, though he admitted he wasn’t as close to her as he was with Wanda since they were still getting to know each other. Wanda was like a little sister to him and he cared deeply about her and her well-being, even going so far as to say that he loved her like family, as well as the rest of the team.

Bucky ran his hand through his hair, gripping a fistful tightly, groaning in frustration.

“It’s my fault,” he whispers more to himself. Steve turns to look at him and Sam shifted his weight, not satisfied with Bucky’s answer.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“We were talking and just…laughing, and I wanted to apologize for what happened in Germany, and next thing I know, Wanda ran out acting weird. When we found her, she was laying on the ground, unconscious with her hand grasping her neck.” Steve rubbed his face and looked down at Claire, hoping—_praying_—that Wanda was okay. Sam sighed and leaned against the wall again, feeling the small prick of tears form in his eyes. He sniffled once, regaining is composure and blinked the tears away.

“She’s gonna be okay though, right?” he asked, looking down at Claire’s sleeping face.

“They only gave her a mild sedative. She should be awake in a few hours.”

The hours ticked by, and neither of them heard anything about Wanda. It worried them that no one had a clear understand on what happened to her except Wanda, who was lying unconscious a couple rooms down. Claire stirred next to Steve and Bucky, opening her purple eyes hissing a bit as her eyes met the glaring blinding light of the white lights and white walls and floors.

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered, sitting up and covering her eyes. She blinked and opened her eyes, allowing herself to adjust to the blinding light and took in her surroundings. Seeing Bucky sitting next to her, she turned towards him, her face scrunched up as she kept her eyes narrowed to help keep light out. “Where am I?”

Bucky reached out and smoothed some of her hair down that was sticking up from when she was sleeping and offered her a small smile, hoping that she would be calm the second time around. He saw Steve move to sit up, readying himself in case he needed to grab her again. Sam, who had moved to sit on the floor, stood up, but made no move forward. He looked at Claire, eyes filled with caution, not wanting to tangle with her angry self or her wolf.

“Claire,” Bucky breathed out. “You’re in the infirmary.”

“Why?” Claire asked confused. Bucky bit his lip; he had to find the right way to word this, otherwise Claire might panic and become hysterical again.

“Wanda…had a little accident this afternoon.” Bucky braced himself for Claire’s reaction, but when it never came, he became worried. Claire looked down.

“Is she okay?” she asked, her voice low. Before Bucky could answer, a doctor strolled down the hall, walking towards the small group of heroes. He stopped in front of them and clasped his hands in front of him before he spoke.

“Your friend will be fine; she just needed to get some oxygen into her lungs.”

Steve stood from his seat and stepped closer to the doctor.

“Can you tell us exactly what happened to her?” The doctor cleared his throat as he looked around at the other three.

“Not exactly. We’re still trying to figure out what happened to cause her to accidentally asphyxiate herself—”

“‘Accidentally asphyxiate herself’? What does that mean?” Claire asked, closing her eyes and bringing a hand up to cradle her head, wincing at the headache that started to form. The doctor looked over at her, pulled out a bottle of Advil, and placed a small pill in her hand before answering her.

“Accidental asphyxiation: meaning she choked herself without intent to harm or kill herself, at least that’s what we believe happened. Upon inspection, we found that her neck was a deep red with small cuts a couple inches apart, hinting that someone applied force, but because of the color and lack of bruising and size of the cuts, it suggests that this was self-imposed. What we don’t know is what drove her to this. Does she have any history of mental illness?”

“Yeah, she has depression, anxiety and suffers from PTSD,” Claire said, getting worried. She knew Wanda was depressed, and would have episodes, but she wasn’t suicidal. The doctor nodded and took out a notepad and scribbled down the information.

“Has she ever exhibited any suicidal thoughts or actions?”

“Yes,” Steve said before Claire could answer. He felt Claire’s eyes staring at him and turning slightly to face her, he continued. “After Sokovia, she refused to take care of herself. She fell deep into her depression and just stopped caring. She wouldn’t sleep, wouldn’t eat and if she did it was only a little bit. She wanted to die. She felt guilty for surviving, and she wanted to be with her brother again.”

Claire closed her eyes, a small tear falling down. Wanda never told her and she had no idea, and she felt stupid for not knowing. The doctor scribbled again.

“Is she on any medication for any of the things you said?” Steve shrugged.

“I’m not sure. We never put her on anything because shortly after Sokovia, she moved in with a friend and she was doing much better. I’m not sure if Jemma had her put on medication.” Claire opened her eyes, thinking back to whenever she was with Wanda. She knew she was on medication for her anxiety and her depression, but she couldn’t remember what it was. She was almost certain that it was the same medication, since she started taking it to help with her anxiety but found that it helped with her depression too. She thought hard, racking her brain to figure out what it was.

“She was on something,” Claire said, gaining the attention of Steve and the doctor. “I can’t remember what it is, though.” The doctor nodded.

“That’s fine, I can call a colleague of mine to check her pharmaceutical records.” 

“Wait,” Claire said as the doctor again scribbled in his notebook. “The medication isn’t in her name. Jemma had them prescribed under her name since they never took Wanda seriously because of her age.” This was a lie of course, but she couldn’t exactly tell him that Jemma did it to protect Wanda’s identity; she was sure that was a crime, regardless of the reason. The doctor nodded and gave her a wink and a smile.

“Please, the fugitive Avengers are in my country and we’ve been harboring a criminal. I’m sure I can be discreet.” Claire smiled as he put his notebook away.

“Can we see her?” she asked him before he left.

“She’s still sleeping, so I can only let in one person at a time. Once she’s awake and talking, more can come in.” Claire turned to face Steve, Sam, and Bucky, silently asking who goes first.

“Why don’t you go, Claire? We’ll wait.” Claire looked over at Bucky, making sure it was okay, but followed the doctor before anyone could object. He led her down the hall to Wanda’s room and held the door open for her.

“Press the button on the wall if something happens,” he told her as he left.

“Thank you.”

Walking further into the room, Claire wasn’t prepared to see her girlfriend lying there, a tube in her nose and an I.V. in her wrist and other wires connecting her to various machines. Claire fought hard against the newly forming tears as her eyes traveled across her still body, landing on her bright red neck with tiny cuts, just as the doctor said. The dull monotonous beeping of a machine on her left was the only sound in the room. Claire watched the machine; a green line moving forward straight, then spiking and dipping, and finally leveling out again, repeating on a loop for as long as Wanda remained alive. Her entire life downplayed to a little green line that refused to move straight.

Claire had to laugh at the irony of it; that the line that represented her girlfriend’s life moved in any other way besides straight, and maybe if this were a different circumstance she might’ve laughed, but instead, she prayed that that line kept spiking and dipping forever.

She moved further into the room, taking a seat in a chair beside her bed, her shaking hands instinctively finding Wanda’s and grasped it tight. Claire tried to swallow the lump that formed in her throat, but it disobeyed her, remaining there, goading her to release her tears to be free of it. And she listened; leaning her head down onto hers and Wanda’s hand, crying softly as she worried about the girl she loved.

She never told Wanda that she loved her, knowing that that would _definitely _move things too fast, but every moment they spent together cause her to fall for the Scarlet Witch more than she already was. If she could spare to be honest, she might admit that she fell in love with Wanda back in Sokovia all those years ago when they were both Strucker’s pets, but in this regard, she was less inclined to be honest, and settled for thinking she fell in love with the Witch after their escape from the Raft.

Despite Wanda’s affection for her, she remained terrified of scaring the brunette away, and had therefore settled for altering the timeline of her feelings. Wanda meant the world to her; representing the purity and innocence that was stolen from her. The anger and jealousy that she had once felt towards her and her brother for volunteering for Strucker’s experiments long evaporated and she was glad that they were there to keep some sort of company. She was grateful that for once in her life the fates had lined up in her favor and delivered this beautiful temptress back to her, though as she watched Wanda lay still in the infirmary bed, hooked up to different machines that made sure she was kept alive, Claire couldn’t help but the anger that burned in her chest, radiating throughout her body. The fates haven’t lined up in her favor; once again they were stacked against her in another cruel joke to mess with her happiness. An old and cruel game of “what can you do to keep her coming back for more and how long will it take before she snaps”. Well, Claire was very close to snapping; _dangerously_ close.

She remained by Wanda’s side for a few hours, drifting in and out of uncomfortable sleep. The monotonous beeping of the machine turned into some strange rhythm, drawing her eyes back towards the spiking line. Her hand laid still on top of Wanda’s and her head sat against the scratchy blankets of the hospital bed. Her eyes fluttered as she started to fall back to sleep. She was exhausted, but she wanted to stay awake in case Wanda woke up.

Wanda’s chest rose and fell in a steady pattern, her breathing normal and not erratic like it was at the grove. She remained still, the only movement coming from her chest. Claire lifted her head up and pulled the chair closer to the bed and leaned her face closer towards her. She gazed at the small details on her face that she never noticed before like how there was almost no color in her cheeks from the lack of oxygen and how her skin was a sickly gray and the skin around her eyes was slight purple shade, making it look like she had black eyes. The only color in her skin was the glaring redness of her neck. Her arms were restrained in brown leather straps to keep her from grasping at her neck again. Claire stood up from the chair and leaned down, pressing a long soft kiss against Wanda’s forehead, a few tears dripping down onto her as she pulled away. She sniffled as she started to cry and ran the pad of her thumb lightly across Wanda’s soft skin.

“I’m here, baby,” she murmured more so to herself than to Wanda as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’m here. Please…please come back to me.”

Claire spent the next two hours mindlessly talking to Wanda, saying pretty much anything that came to her mind so that she wasn’t sitting in silence. She talked more about her life with Bucky and all the stupid shit they found themselves getting into before the mess in Romania. She talked about what little she could remember of her family and how Bucky is really her only family left (her family died during Ultron’s attack on Sokovia). She talked about how she was glad that Wanda was back in her life again and how much she meant to her as a person and friend, and how her life got infinitely better once she came into it.

She wanted to tell Wanda that she loved her and had loved her for years but decided against it. While she carried these feelings with her for years, Wanda only started reciprocating them very recently. She didn’t want to jeopardize their relationship before it even really started.

She continued talking, filling the silence with one-way conversations and stories, unaware of Wanda’s changing condition. Though her eyes remained closed, her eyes started to move, darting back and forth. Her fingers twitched slightly, grasping the sheets and Claire’s hand. Claire gasped, the tears returning and tightened her grip on Wanda’s hand. She sat up straight and moved her free hand to Wanda’s shoulder.

“Wanda? Wanda, I’m here. I’m here. Please wake up.”

Wanda’s eyes slowly opened, revealing the majestic green pools that Claire loved, but she shut them fast as the light in the room blinded her. She let out a groan, opening her eyes again, and looked over to her left, looking at Claire. She blinked a few times, willing the image of her girlfriend to come more into focus.

“Claire?” her dry voice squeaked out, cracking as she called her name. She winced as her vocal cords ached at being used. Claire sat up from the chair and moved to sit on the side of her bed.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re gonna be a little sore for a bit, but you’re fine.” Wanda sighed and leaned her head back against the pillows. She tried to relax, but her heart rate sped up once again as she flexed her arm but couldn’t move. She started to panic as she remembered the feeling of the straitjacket restricting her movement. Her eyes were wide and she shook in her bed as she pulled at the restraints, trying to free herself. Claire reached out, grabbing both of her hands and firmly pressed down, pressing them into the bed to stop her.

“Hey, Wanda…Wanda it’s okay, it’s okay. Calm down, it’s okay, you’re safe. You’re safe.”

“Why can’t I move?”

“They’re there to keep you from hurting yourself,” Claire said, sniffling a little at the thought of Wanda hurt. As Wanda calmed down and stopped thrashing, Claire let her grip on her hands go and she sat back down, rubbing her nose and wiping her eyes.

“Claire, what happened? Why am I here?” Wanda asked, an ounce of fear in her voice.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I…I’m not sure. I remember sitting with Bucky, and then I was outside…I don’t remember much after that.” Wanda lifted her eyes to meet Claire’s purple eyes that were stained red from her tears. More tears filled her eyes, streaming down her face. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, Wanda. We heard a scream and when I found you, you were lying on the ground, unconscious with her hand wrapped tightly around your neck. Why would you do that?”

Wanda thought hard, trying to remember what brought her to her unfortunate accident. She remembered being with Bucky and Claire, she remembered going outside, she remembered the tree surrounded by flowers and candles and paper lanterns. Then it hit her like a truck; the shock collar, the straitjacket, Ross; all of it. She remembered it all. Her hand twitched, searching for Claire’s hand as she became frightened.

“I remember,” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

“What do you remember?” Claire asked, taking her restrained hand into hers, calming Wanda down.

“I remember, sitting in the little grove. I was touching my scar and I felt…a shock, like from the collar. I felt everything, the shock of the collar, the straitjacket, the aches and pains as the guards beat me. I saw Ross and heard his voice threaten to fry every single one of my nerves unless I gave him what he wanted.” Wanda was back in tears. “I was back in the Raft, Claire.” 

“Listen to me, Wanda. You are not back in that place. I will never let you go back there, okay? I’ll fight anyone that tries to put you back there, even that asshat Ross. I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you _ever _again. Do you hear me?” Claire said, looking straight into Wanda’s eyes, anger and seriousness and worry filling them. Wanda nodded, her eyes not leaving Claire’s.

“I hear you.” 

“Good,” Claire said as she pressed her lips to Wanda’s kissing her for the first time since they’ve been here. Wanda melted into the kiss, but pulled away after a minute, blushing.

“Claire,” Wanda playfully scolded, pushing Claire away from her, lowering her voice. “What if someone sees?” Claire smiled and leaned back in, connecting her lips with Wanda’s again.

“If I’m being honest,” she said as she pulled away, breaking the kiss. “I don’t really care if anyone sees us.”

“What if they don’t approve?”

“Who cares if they don’t approve? The only person whose approval I’m looking for is yours. And if the team doesn’t like us together, then we can leave; move back to Victoria’s Island and live in a small wood cabin, just the two of us. Ignoring all the world’s problems. Enjoying each other and being happy. What do you say?” Claire asked with hopeful eyes. Wanda smiled and nodded her head, biting her bottom lip. Claire smirked, pecking Wanda on the lips. “Oh, and can you do me a favor?”

“What?”

“Don’t bite your lip like that.”


	33. Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Wanda recovers, the fugitive Avengers leave Wakanda. Steve and Sam learn of Claire and Wanda's relationship.

After Wanda’s accident and recovery in Wakanda, Claire rarely left her side, afraid that Wanda might experience another sort of attack. Steve, Sam, and even Bucky made the effort to visit her and spend time with her, with T’Challa coming occasionally. After Wanda explained to Claire what happened in the grove, she relayed it to the doctor who looked into it and diagnosed that it was some sort of PTSD attack that mixed with her anxiety (to be honest, Claire couldn’t remember because of the medical jargon).

Wanda was discharged a few days later, once the doctors were sure that she was fine. The redness in her neck died down and returned to its normal color and the small cuts started to scab over. Mentally, Wanda was also doing better. In addition to spending time with Claire and the guys, she saw a therapist who helped her talk out her various traumas. Wanda made Claire and the guys promise her to not mention anything about this to Jemma saying, “When she freaks out, then I freak out.” They reluctantly agreed and promised not to say anything to Jemma.

The rest of their stay was uneventful, and after what happened with Wanda, they were all thankful for that. They spent the rest of their week kicking back without the threat of running hanging over their heads, attended festivals and explored the cities. Wanda marveled at the beauty of the hand-made woven rugs, clothes, and jewelry as she walked through the stalls of the marketplace.

She paused at one stand in particular, marveling at the different rings, necklaces, bracelets, and pins that they sold, gazing a little longer than she should have. Claire crept up behind her, watching as Wanda glued her eyes to a tray of necklaces, smiling softly. She continued walking, not stopping at the stall long before she moved onto another stall, felling the fabrics of the shawls that were being sold, chatting with the old woman who ran the stall. Claire joined her a minute later, shuffling a small bag into the pocket of her jeans, and pecked Wanda on the cheek. Wanda smiled and looked over at her as her cheeks turned a light red.

The old woman behind the stall smiled at them and picked up two small scarves, one red and the other purple, and handed them to the two young women.

“For you,” she said in her thick Wakandan accent as she folded her hands and bowed slightly. Wanda and Claire looked at each other, blushing some more, and tried to hand the scarves back to her.

“Oh no, we couldn’t take this,” Wanda said, but the old woman shook her head, not accepting the scarves. She smiled as she pointed at them, her bony finger shaking a little bit.

“No, you keep them. May Bast bless you both with happiness and peace and may you both live long and happy lives.”

“Please, we couldn’t,” Claire pleaded. The woman pushed the scarves back at them, giving them a stern look that quickly turned into a smile.

“Take them! As a gift. I have been around for 90 years I do not need these. Take them and humor an old woman.” She reached out both her hands towards theirs, the both of them placing a gentle hand into each of her open ones. “Do not let people’s fear and bigotry trample out the love you two feel. Make your love stronger, brighter and louder than their hate.” She leaned down and placed a small kiss on their hands before releasing them. They thanked her for her words and the scarves and continued on their way.

○○○

The Quinjet soared quickly through the air, hidden in stealth mode, as it flew back home to the safehouse. The three of them enjoyed their time in Wakanda and Wanda and Claire promised each other that they would go back at some point. Claire was a little sad to go because she would miss Bucky terribly, but she knew he’d be okay with T’Challa there to watch him, and she knew that she’d be okay with Wanda here to keep her from missing him too much.

Once again, the two women sat next to each other, almost snuggling against each other, watching episodes of _The Office _on Claire’s phone. They were grateful for the Quinjet rides because it was the only time when they could snuggle with each other around the other members of the team without it looking suspicious and having them question it. Except, this time turned out to be not like the other times. Sam, who was sitting in the cockpit, turned on autopilot and got up from his chair and walked to the back, standing in front of them with his hands on his hips. The two women looked up him, confusion evident on their faces and Claire paused the episode, taking the earbud out of her ear. Wanda copied her.

“Can we help you, Sap?” Claire asked, shooting the Falcon and sassy smirk. Wanda bit her lip to keep from laughing. A frown grew on Sam’s face as Claire’s smirk grew.

“Actually, you can help me with something. Tell me what’s going on between you two.” The smirk disappeared from Claire’s face and Wanda’s face paled a little at Sam’s demand. The bluntness of it was enough to give them both pause, but Claire recovered and frowned, standing from her seat, getting in Sam’s face.

“What makes you think there’s something going on?” she asked folding her arms over her chest. Steve too stood up and moved to stand close to them, ready to jump in in case a fight broke out. Wanda shifted uncomfortably in her seat and cast her eyes downward. She knew that they weren't being as discreet as they could’ve been, and she appreciated Claire for trying to cover it up, knowing that the thought of being outed just yet unnerved the brunette.

“Ever since your little fight or whatever, every time I see you two together, you’re so close, _physically _close to each other; closer than you were before the fight. You’re with each other constantly. When Wanda had that attack in the woods in Wakanda, you carried her back and you were so hysterical they had to sedate you. Whenever there is even the slight chance of danger you get overly protective of Wanda, and God forbid anything happens to her, you freak the fuck out and go on a rampage—” 

“I do not—”

“Sam…” 

“Russia? The HYDRA soldiers? Do you remember that? Does that ring a bell?” Claire looked down at the floor as Sam continued to list off everything he ever caught the two of them doing, and it angered her. It angered her that for a moment she couldn’t have some sort of peace without someone sticking their nose into it, trying to demand what was happening. It happened a lot in Sokovia, it happened at the Raft. All her life she’d been demanded of things without one second of a break, of peace, and it was happening again.

Her skin started to burn, heating up as her rage burned in her mind. Her eyes glowed a bright purple and her claws grew longer as Sam continued to interrogate them. He didn’t notice as she started to lose control and shift, but Wanda did and in an instant, she shot up from her seat and pushed Sam away, knocking him into Steve, and grabbed Claire’s face in her hands and aggressively pressed her lips against Claire’s. Claire instantly relaxed; her claws returned to their normal length and the glow of her eyes disappeared as she closed her eyes and brought her hands up and tangled them in Wanda’s long brown hair. Wanda pushed Claire back down in her seat and moved to sit in her lap, her added weight keeping Claire from getting back up. Wanda felt Claire’s fangs as they kissed, Claire being careful to not bite Wanda’s lip. She let out a low growl when Wanda finally pulled away, breathing heavily and blushing a deep red.

She was in no way ready to come out to anyone just yet and she definitely didn’t want anyone to witness them making out, but it had to be done. Over the course of their brief romantic relationship and their friendship, Wanda learned that the quickest way to either stop Claire from shifting or to help her regain control faster was for her to come into so sort of contact with the shapeshifter; the best way being physical. She pressed her forehead against Claire’s as she caught her breath. She ran her fingers through the redhead’s hair, helping to calm her down.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, feeling Claire’s arms leave her hair and snake around her, pulling her close into a hug. “You’re okay, baby. I’ve got you.”

“I’m sorry,” Claire whispered into her brown hair. Sam and Steve stood in bewilderment as they watched the scene in front of them, suddenly feeling like that were intruding on a private moment. Wanda soon removed herself from Claire’s lap, allowing her to stand, and followed her over to Sam and Steve. Wanda took Claire’s hand in hers and ran her thumb across the surface. Claire looked down at the floor, standing in front of the two men in shame; she never liked losing control, especially when she lost control at a friend.

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten that angry and I should’ve tried to calm down. I’m so sorry, Sam,” Claire said. Wanda moved her hand, letting Claire’s drop to her side, and stroked her back. Sam cleared his throat and hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s…apology accepted, Claire. I shouldn’t have come at you guys like that.”

There was a moment of silence between the four of them before Steve cleared his throat and spoke up.

“So…how long has this been going on?” Wanda snorted a laugh at the semi-unexpected question.

“We’ve been dating for about two weeks now,” Claire mumbled as Wanda giggled beside her.

“And when were you going to tell me?” Steve asked rubbing his forehead, trying to approach it delicately.

“We didn’t feel comfortable coming out to anyone yet,” Wanda said, her voice turning serious. Steve’s eyes softened as he sensed her worry and fear. He stepped forward and pulled the two of them into a hug, accepting them both for who they were.

“You know we wouldn’t have judged you, right?”

“It wasn’t just that,” Claire said into his chest. “It’s…this is still new, and we didn’t know how to define it really.” Wanda nodded and Steve sighed in understanding.

“Who else knows?”

“Only Jemma and Bucky. Jemma sort of pushed us to get together.” Steve released Wanda and Claire and smiled at them.

“Well, I’m happy for you both.”

“Me too,” Sam said, walking behind them and ruffling their hair. He smiled when he heard their laughs and cries for him to stop.

“Listen you guys, can you…not say anything to Natasha? We want to tell her in our own time,” Wanda asked, she soft Sokovian accent pleading with them. Sam scoffed.

“Chances are Tasha already knows, but yeah sure, we won’t say anything.”

“How would she know?” Claire asked looking behind her at Sam. Sam leaned down, becoming level with the girls’ ears.

“Tasha knows all.”


	34. Dating 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Wanda go on their first date. This is the first part.

Two months have passed since their trip to Wakanda, and everything was going great for Claire and Wanda. They had found the right time to break the news to Natasha about them dating, only to find out that Sam was right and that she already knew and had known for a while but was still happy to hear them say it. The two even contacted Clint and made a visit to him and his family (Wanda’s idea) and told him and Laura in person, who in response jumped for joy and hugged them all while Clint gave Claire the normal “dad speech” while Laura slapped him in the arm.

Like always, the pair were inseparable, and because they had come out to the team, felt more comfortable showing simple displays of affection in more public areas of the house, keeping it PG of course; Steve’s orders. Unbeknownst to them, the only thing they haven’t done was go on a proper date. When Natasha brought it to Claire’s attention one day when her, Jemma, and the Russian redhead were sitting at the kitchen table talking, Claire nearly fell out of her chair in a panic.

“How have we not a had a real date yet?” she asked more to herself than to the table, but regardless they gave their two cents anyway.

“I mean, you two have been busy,” Jemma said as she took a sip of her tea.

“And besides, it’s not that big of a deal. You two just started dating, so she can’t really crucify you,” Natasha said taking a bite out of her peanut butter sandwich.

“Do you think she’s been waiting for me to ask her out on a date?” Claire asked, now visibly panicking. “Has she said anything to you?” she asked directing the question to Jemma.

“Relax Claire, she hasn’t said anything to me. You forget, Wanda is a take charge woman; I’m sure if she was waiting for you to ask her out, she wouldn’t have waited this long. She would’ve asked you herself.” Natasha nodded her head as she still chewed, taking another bite.

“What do people even do for first dates?” Jemma and Natasha looked at each other and then looked back at Claire. Natasha swallowed her sandwich and sighed.

“Well, most of the time the first date acts as a way to get to know the other person, so going to an open public place where you can talk is ideal, but you guys already know each other pretty well…”

“The first date can also kind of low-key and meant to take any pressure off the couple,” Jemma said taking over from where the Russian spy left off. “All in all, the first date is more like an initial meeting. Something to do for a first date might be to go out to dinner. That’s a classic. Of course, you could take her to a movie or to someplace just to hang out.”

“What should _I _do? What if she doesn’t enjoy herself and she’s bored?” Natasha grabbed Claire’s hand, ending her rambling rant.

“Claire, relax. Wanda is already interested in you. I’m sure she’ll love anything you plan for her.”

“And don’t worry, we’re here to help you come up with an idea.” Claire smiled at the two older women and proceeded to listen to their advice. “Alright, I think to make it easy on ourselves, we should start listing things that would _not_ be good ideas. For instance, there’s a haunted house that the city’s throwing in town; that would _not _be a good idea. Wanda gets scared easily. Hmm…let’s see. What else?”

“Going along with that, if you do decided to take her to a movie, no scary movies,” Natasha said resuming her sandwich. Jemma nodded and moved to grab a piece of paper and a pen and began writing down their ideas.

“What about taking her trick or treating on Halloween?” Claire asked, curious of the idea. Jemma made a face as she thought about the idea.

“I’d say that’s iffy, given her past history. She’s never done something like this, so it could be a good idea, introducing her to a fun and almost integral part of American culture, but it is possible that the amount of people around and her lack of knowledge will have her feeling anxious.”

“Wanda likes art. You could take her to a museum?” Natasha offered. Claire nodded, liking the idea. “She also likes music, so you could also take her to a concert.”

“She doesn’t like loud noises,” Claire said, pulling out her phone to find the nearest art museum. “Plus she doesn’t really have a favorite band, at least she hasn’t told me she does.” Jemma finished her tea and stood up and walked to the kitchen, rinsed the mug out, placed it in the dishwasher, and walked back to her seat.

“We also need to remember, Wanda is a simple person, and doesn’t particularly like flash extravagant things, so this date doesn’t have to pull out all the stops. I’m sure she’ll be perfectly happy with a nice quiet evening with you eating food and watching a movie.” Claire sighed and ran her hands over her face. She wasn’t usually an indecisive person, but when it came to Wanda, she wanted everything to be perfect, and sometimes that led her to indecision.

“Use your instincts Claire. You know her, almost better than us. You know what she’s like as a person; you know what her likes and dislikes are. You know what triggers her anxiety. You know her. Just try to clear your mind and take a deep breath, and the perfect idea will come to you. And, if everything falls apart, and your plan fails, understand that Wanda’s not gonna leave you because of one bad date,” Natasha said walking over to Claire and giving her a hug. Since they had been on the run, the two redheads became closer, and now Natasha was something of a mother figure—or maybe an older sister—to her, much like how Jemma was to Wanda.

“Thank you, both of you. There’s no way I could’ve done this without your help,” Claire said, smiling at both of them. Jemma reached out and took Claire’s hand in her own, returning her smile, a small tear forming in her eye.

“You know you’re the best thing that ever happened to her,” Jemma said, wiping the tear away. “I’ve never seen her so happy before she found you.”

“I’m sure _you’re _the best thing that ever happened to her, Jemma. Without you, who knows what she would’ve done; how she would’ve gotten through her trauma and grief. Without you she might not even be here.” Claire looked down, erasing the visual of Wanda’s depressed self. “Come on, I still need an idea.”

○○○

Claire planned their date for Halloween, deciding to spend the entire day introducing Wanda to America’s take on the holiday. Once she had the date planned out, she took Wanda into town to the nearest costume shop and told her to pick out a costume but didn’t tell her what it was for. Wanda listened, of course, but gave Claire curious looks the whole afternoon.

Through research, Claire found out that not only did the city in which they were living put together a haunted house for the holiday, but also a “Halloween Bash”, which only fueled Claire’s excitement. She planned on taking her to dinner early in the evening, then trick or treating for a little bit and then they would stop by the party before heading back to the safehouse, where if she was up to it, they would finish out the night watching a family friendly Halloween movie like _Hocus Pocus_ or something.

As the weeks grew closer, Claire started to panic as she thought of all the things that could go wrong the night of their date. She double checked everything, making sure their costumes were good to go, that the place where she wanted to take Wanda for dinner was open on the 31st and that they were reserved to be there (Jemma offered that advice, citing her own first date as a cautionary tale), checked that she had their tickets for the party and made sure that the DVD copy of _Hocus Pocus _she had bought was working and ready to be watched. And just to be sure, she also stopped at a dollar store and picked up a two bags of chocolate (Wanda’s favorite) in case the pickings were slim during trick or treating.

Seeing Wanda became difficult for her, because as they got closer, she wanted nothing more than to spill the beans in an effort to not scare and surprise Wanda, but she held strong, even having the rest of the Avengers—who by now knew of her plan—promise to keep their traps shut. Wanda started to grow suspicious of her girlfriend’s increasingly weird behavior, but whenever she questioned someone about it, they gave her the same answer; “Maybe it’s her time of the month”, and it happened so much that Wanda wasn’t sure if they rehearsed it, or if it was just coincidence. 

Soon the day came, and Claire was nervous and excited at the same time. She always loved spending time with Wanda, and she loved nothing more than to make her happy and enjoy life. That afternoon, Claire skipped happily down the hall to Wanda’s room and knocked on her door, creating a happy tune. Wanda opened the door and smiled brightly when she saw the redhead.

“Hello there,” she said opening the door wider and pulling her girlfriend in for a small kiss.

“Hello. Are you doing anything later?”

“No, why?”

“Would you like to go out with me later today? Like as a date?” Claire asked, suddenly feeling nervous again. Wanda’s smile grew, the corners of her mouth reached her eyes and her cheeks turned a rosy pink. She bit her lip to try to keep from smiling, though it failed.

“Of course, I’d love to go out with you.” 

“Good,” Claire said, her face also turning pink. “I’ll come get you at five.” She started walking back to her room, before she paused and spun back around, catching Wanda before she closed her door. “Oh, one more thing, wear your costume.” And with that, Claire sprinted down the fall and back to her room, closing the door before Wanda could question why she had to wear her costume. 

Five o’clock rolled around faster than Claire expected it to, but nonetheless, she still stood outside Wanda’s room dressed in her costume (a werewolf if you could believe it). She stood trying to work up the nerve to knock on the door and collect Wanda for their date, a simple task that proved to be much harder than she thought. Natasha walked down the hall, coming up behind her and whispered in her ear, causing Claire to jump a little.

“Just knock. It’ll get easier from there.”

Claire listened to the older woman and took a deep breath before she lifter her clenched fist and knocked twice on the door. Almost immediately, Wanda threw the door open, fully dressed in her costume—a classic witch with the black hat and broom—looking beautiful. The black dress was simple, but to add some flare and protection, Wanda added silver reflective strips that were cute and arranged in intricate designs. Her pale face had minimal make-up, only some mascara, a light blush, and ruby red lipstick and her nails were painted black. Claire couldn’t help but stare, a goofy smile plastered on her face. Wanda smiled also as her face started to heat up as Claire continued to stare.

“Do I look alright?” Wanda asked, looking down at her outfit, a little self-conscious. Claire snapped out of it and cleared her throat.

“No, you look…beautiful. I just…I…umm…”

“You look nice too,” Wanda said, blushing more at the compliment. Claire reached her hand out and Wanda placed her hand in Claire’s open palm, allowing the redhead to lead her out of her room and into the living room where the rest of the team sat waiting, sending the couple a variation of cheeky smirks and happy smiles. Sam gave a playful wolf whistled at the two of them, his smirk growing until Natasha threw a pillow at him causing Wanda and Claire to laugh at his misfortune. Steve shook his head, smiling and walked over to the two women.

“Be careful,” he said to Claire, who nodded in reply. Steve knew that if trouble should arise, Claire and Wanda were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, but he couldn’t help but worry. Jemma was the next to come over to them, a stern but playful look on her face.

“Don’t stay out all night, you two.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have her home by midnight,” Claire said, a smile forming on her lips. Jemma patted her on the shoulder and gave her a set of keys before hugging Wanda.

“Have fun.” The two left the safehouse and got into the blue car in the driveway. Getting into the driver’s seat, Claire took off her wolf head and placed it in the backseat. Wanda placed her broom and her hat back there as well before getting into the passenger seat.

“You ready?” Claire asked, as she put the key into the ignition. Wanda smiled at her and placed a hand on her knee.

“Yeah. I’m ready.”

Claire pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road, heading into town. It would be a good half hour before they got to the restaurant so they had some time to kill. The inside of the car was filled with silence, and while it wasn’t uncomfortable, Claire felt awkward and nervous. Wanda looked out the window, watching the different colored trees as they passed. Claire cleared her throat and took a shaky breath in. Beads of sweat started to form on her brow and dripped down the back of her neck. She swallowed the nervous lump and opened her mouth to speak.

“So…you ever celebrate Halloween?” She mentally slapped herself for asking such a stupid question. Wanda turned her head and looked at Claire, smiling at her, hoping to ease nerves.

“Not really, at least not in the way that you probably mean. Sokovia always did things differently. Halloween was seen almost as a religious holiday where families spent the day eating delicious food and sweets that they didn’t really have the rest of the year. My mother would always make a special meal and a desert from the sugar rations that she’d save for from the last few months.” Wanda smiled sadly at the memory. “My brother would always look forward to it, probably more than Christmas. He used to wake me up early in the morning and we would try to sneak into the kitchen while our mother was in there cooking and try to find out what the meal was. She always kept it a secret and changed it every year. We were never good at sneaking around; she would always catch us and throw us out, but not before giving us a kiss and each half of a bread roll.”

Claire didn’t miss the small tear that rolled down her cheek as she finished telling her story. She grabbed her hand, taking her eyes off the road for a split second to look at Wanda, giving her a sad smile.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“It’s fine,” Wanda said, waving her off, smiling again. “It’s not your fault. Besides, I’m glad I told you. It makes me feel close to them.” She wiped the tear away and Claire turned back to the road in front of them. “So, what do you Americans do to celebrate? Is it like how it is in the movies?” 

“And how is it in the movies?” Claire asked, smirking. She knew Wanda was trying to get her to tell her what they were doing, but she wasn’t going to crack that easily.

“You know; rowdy parties full of drunk teenagers, toilet papering and egging houses, scary costumes of Hollywood serial killers, enough candy to make ones teeth root out of their mouth with one look,” Wanda said laughing. Claire smiled, but didn’t divulge any information.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said feigning surprise and cluelessness. Wanda laughed harder, and Claire felt more at ease. They had just turned off the road they were on and started to enter into the town. The restaurant was a couple more minutes away.

“Come on, Claire, just tell me what we’re doing,” Wanda pleaded, her now fading Sokovian accent pulling at her heartstrings, making Claire sigh in content. She loved the way her name sounded coming from Wanda’s accented lips.

“Nope,” Claire said popping the “p” as she started to look for a parking space, her smile not leaving her face.

“At least give me a hint.” Wanda jutted out her bottom lip, pouting a little, and the look made Claire weak. _Good think I’m sitting_. Claire sighed dramatically.

“Alright, I’ll give you _one _hint, but that’s it. And I’m not gonna tell you if you’re right or not.”

“Fine.”

“Alright. Your hint is, dancing.” Claire had parked the car a block away from the restaurant and left the car before Wanda could question what the hint meant. Claire laughed as she started to walk away, hearing the sound of Wanda’s shoes clacking against the brick sidewalk as she jogged to catch up with her.

“Dancing? What does that mean?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give out anymore hints,” Claire said shrugging her shoulders, smiling at Wanda in a playfully teasing manner.

“But that wasn’t a hint,” Wanda said laughing. Claire shrugged again and opened the door to the restaurant, holding it open for Wanda.

“After you, Milady,” she said bowing to her, laughing. Wanda curtseyed as she walked through the door.

“Thank you, Madame.” Claire followed Wanda into the restaurant and over to the check-in stand.

“Hello and welcome to Bocaccini’s. How may I help you today?” the host asked.

“Hi, we have a reservation for two under Stowell.”

“Ah, yes, Ms. Stowell. Very good. If you’ll please follow me.” The host grabbed two menus and led the two women further into the restaurant. He led them to a table near the back of the restaurant away from the semi-crowded dining hall, something that Wanda was grateful for. The host placed the two menus on the table and pulled out the chairs for both women. “A waiter will be right with you.”

“Thank you,” they both said as he walked away back to his podium.

“Thank you,” Wanda said as she looked into Claire’s eyes, gratitude shining in them.

“For what?” Claire asked as she opened her menu. Wanda reached over the table and placed her hand on top of Claire’s intertwining their fingers.

“You know what. For getting a table in the back.” Claire smiled and lifted their hands, placing a small kiss on Wanda’s knuckles.

“Of course. I know how you get uncomfortable in large crowds, and especially given our relationship…it can get awkward.”

“I hope you don’t think I’m ashamed to be seen with you as my girlfriend, because I’m not,” Wanda said, suddenly alarmed. Claire chuckled and placed another kiss against her hand, calming Wanda’s nerves.

“Wanda, relax. I don’t think that at all.” Claire offered her a small smile which Wanda reciprocated. Wanda pulled her hand back and picked up her menu, opening it. Everything sounded delicious and Wanda didn’t know what she was in the mood for. After moving to America, she discovered that she like Italian food, though she admitted that she never tried anything other than pasta, meatballs, pizza, sausage and chicken parmesan (she had Claire to thank for the last one). 

“Claire what should I get?” Wanda asked, giggling a bit. Claire giggled too and put her menu down a on the table.

“I don’t know what you should get. What are you in the mood for?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, I think I’m going to get the spaghetti and meatball platter. It comes with garlic bread and a small salad. You could get that?”

“That sounds good, except I don’t like garlic bread,” Wanda grumbled. Claire laughed.

“You give me your garlic bread and I’ll give you my salad. Deal?” Wanda smiled at her and closed her menu.

“Deal.” Out of the corner of their eyes they saw their waiter walk over to them, notepad in hand.

“Good evening, ladies. My name is Michael and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start by getting you something to drink?”

“I’ll just have a water,” Claire said.

“Me too, please,” Wanda added. Michael nodded and made a note on his notepad.

“And are you two ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?”

Claire looked at Wanda and then back at Michael.

“Are you ready?” Claire asked and Wanda nodded. “Okay, we’ll both have the spaghetti platter.”

“Alrighty, and what kind of salad would you want?” Claire looked at Wanda and Michael followed her gaze.

“Caesar’s fine,” Wanda muttered. Michael nodded and wrote it down in his notepad. Taking their menus, he smiled at them once more.

“Very good. I’ll be right back with your waters and some breadsticks.” Michael walked off towards the kitchen and disappeared through the doors. Claire sighed and took her hair out of her messy bun that she put up earlier to keep her hair from showing under her mask. Her long hair fell down her shoulders in scarlet waves, framing her face and casting a reddish glow as the last few rays of the late evening sun shone through the window by their table.

Wanda smiled as Claire looked out the window, her eyes landing on the multi-colored leaves of the trees. Wanda placed her hand on top of Claire’s, pulling the redhead away from the window. Claire smiled as she gazed at Wanda’s beautiful face, her green eyes twinkling in the sun. They were quiet for a few minutes, just taking the time to study each other’s features, getting lost in the beauty they each possessed.

Claire suddenly tore her eyes away from Wanda’s, her face turning a bright red, and stared at the table cloth. Wanda giggled and tilted her head, trying to get Claire to look back at her.

“What’s wrong?” Wanda asked, her smile faltering a bit. Claire looked back up at her.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Claire said, not really lying, but not delivering the whole truth.

“I know you, Claire. Something’s bothering you. I can sense that you’re uncomfortable,” Wanda frowned and casted her eyes downward as she thought back to their time in the car. “Is it me?” Claire’s eyes widened as she realized how she must have been coming off. She leaned forward and grasped Wanda’s hands tightly in her own, forcing Wanda to look into her eyes.

“No, Wanda, it’s not because of you. I’m just nervous…I’ve never been on a date before, and I just want everything to be perfect because you deserve perfection. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think you were making me uncomfortable; you could never make me feel like that.” Claire offered her a smile and softened her eyes, showing nothing but sincerity. She almost admitted that she loved her, but decided it wasn’t the right time. She didn’t want Wanda to feel pressured to say it back; she would wait until Wanda said it first, no matter how long it took. Wanda smiled and kissed the backs of Claire’s hand before she pulled away when she saw Michael coming towards their table with a tray of glasses and a bowl of breadsticks.

“Here you go, I’m sorry for the little wait. Is there anything else I can get you?”

“No, thank you Michael,” Claire said as he nodded and walked away. Wanda picked up her glass and lifted it, holding out towards Claire who did the same with hers.

“Here’s to first dates,” she said.

“To first dates,” Claire repeated as they toasted to each other and clinked their glasses together before they each took a sip.

“This place is beautiful,” Wanda muttered, her eyes darting around the room, admiring the interior design of the Italian bistro.

“It doesn’t compare to you though,” Claire said with a content smile on her face. Wanda let out a little laugh, remembering when she said the same thing to Claire a couple of weeks beforehand.

“You’re copying me,” she laughed. Claire looked at her, feigning surprise.

“I would never do such a thing. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Wanda laughed harder, but ultimately let it go. Taking another sip of her water, she cleared her throat and looked at Claire with a questioning glance.

“So, what do people do on first dates?”

“Well, Jemma and Natasha said that people mostly spend the time getting to know each other and finding out if they’re compatible, but other than that, I’m not sure.”

“How would you suggest we get to know each other?” Wanda asked, folding her hands on the table, a smug look on her face. Claire copied her and looked into her eyes.

“Well, I already know a lot about you, but how about we play 20 Questions?”

“I like it. Should we set some boundaries?” Claire thought a minute, debating the question. She knew some things that were triggers for Wanda, and she wanted to steer clear of those, but she also wanted Wanda to feel comfortable to ask her anything.

“I think we shouldn’t set any strict boundaries, but since we know what bothers the other, we should stay away from those things.” Wanda nodded in agreement, grateful for Claire’s response. “Do you want to start?”

Wanda thought a minute, wanting her first couple questions to be lighthearted. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Believe it or not, it’s not purple. It’s actually green,” Claire said as she smiled at the slight blush that dusted Wanda’s cheeks. “My turn. If you could live anywhere in the world at any time, where would it be and when?”

Wanda thought a moment; having never thought of this before. She didn’t know where she wanted to live and having only lived in two places her whole life, she wasn’t entirely sure what other places were like.

“I’m…not sure honestly. I’ve never thought about it before since I’ve lived in the same place for most of my life, but if I _had _to choose a place, I guess I would either choose New York in the 1940’s or…I don’t know, maybe I’d go back to Victoria’s Island.” She reached for a breadstick and bit into it and then took a sip of her water.

“Real quick, just a follow up question; why New York in the 1940’s?” Claire asked giggling.

“I don’t know,” Wanda said starting to laugh. “I lived in New York after Ultron and I liked it, and I guess I would choose the ‘40s because it just seemed like a really interesting time. I kind of liked the fashion of that time, and…I don’t know.” Wanda’s cheeks turned red in embarrassment and she tried to hide her face in her hair.

“Hey,” Claire said. Wanda moved her eyes from behind her hair. Claire’s eyes were soft and delicate as she gazed at her. “It’s a good answer.”

“Is it my turn?” she asked grinning at Claire.

“Yes, it’s your turn.” 

“What’s your favorite movie?” Without missing a beat, Claire answered.

“_The Princess Bride_. Hands down.”

“I don’t think I know that one…” Wanda murmured. Claire looked at her in shock.

“Inconceivable! Well, we’ll have to watch it together sometime.” Wanda blushed as she took another breadstick. “Let’s see…oh ok. Out of all the Avengers, not counting me, who is your favorite?”

“That’s hard!” Wanda exclaimed as she burst out laughing with Claire joining in. “I can’t choose one person.”

“Sure you can. I have a favorite Avenger,” Claire shrugged as she sipped at her water and ate a breadstick.

“I guess I’ll say Steve. He’s been like a brother to me ever since I lost Pietro. Who’s your favorite Avenger?” Claire smiled and placed her glass down.

“Definitely Thor.”

“Have you met Thor?” Wanda asked, accidently using one of her questions. Claire chuckled and sat back in her chair with a dreamy look in her eye.

“Nope, but I’ve seen pictures of him and heard about him from the others.” She let out a heavy sigh and a hum. “If only I wasn’t gay.” Wanda laughed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Michael soon came back over holding a large tray of food and a stand. He placed the tray down on an empty table and set up the stand next to their table, and then picked up the tray again and rested it on the stand.

“Alright, two spaghetti platters,” he said as he picked up the two big plates of spaghetti and meatballs and placed one in front of each woman. “Be careful, the plate’s a little hot.” He then grabbed the two small bowls of salad and placed them next to the plates of spaghetti, and finally he grabbed the basket of garlic bread and put it down on the other side of the plates of spaghetti. Taking the tray off the stand, he folded it up and placed the stand under his arm along with the tray. “Can I get you both anything else?”

“Can I have another water, please?” Wanda asked. Michael nodded and took her glass.

“Can I get you another water, miss?”

“No, thank you Michael, I’m fine,” Claire said. Michael smiled and walked off back to the kitchen. He returned a minute later with a full glass of cold water and placed it in front of Wanda. She thanked him again and he walked off.

“This looks delicious,” she mused as she inhaled the delicious scent of the food.

“You want my salad?” Wanda nodded and took Claire’s bowl.

“Here’s my garlic bread,” Wanda said handing her basket to Claire, making room for her extra bowl of salad. The two continued to play their game as they ate. They avoided asking questions about each other’s families and childhoods and instead focused on things like favorite color and animal.

“So, Claire,” Wanda began, cutting one of her meatballs in half and then in half again. “I know you can shapeshift into a wolf, but what else can you shift into?” Claire paused, almost surprised by the question.

“Um…I haven’t really tried shifting into anything else. The only thing that I’ve noticed is that I can alter my wolf. So, like instead of turning into a full wolf, I can amend her structure to look like your classic wolf-man creature…thing. Or I can just extend my claws and fangs instead of fully shifting.” Claire shoveled a forkful of spaghetti into her mouth and Wanda stabbed her fork into her salad.

“Wanda, what’s your favorite thing to do when you’re bored?”

“Well, I like to read, but annoying you is tied, I think,” Wanda said, shooting Claire a playful smirk. “My next question has two parts.”

“I’m counting it as two questions,” Claire said biting into her garlic bread.

“Fine. What is the one thing you like most about me and why?” The playful attitude the two had shot back and forth had disappeared and Wanda stared at Claire with a sad frown. Claire forgot all about their game and dropped her fork against her plate.

“Wanda why would you ask me this?” She wasn’t angry at the brunette but wondered where the question came from. Wanda’s eyes glistened briefly with tears though they did not fall.

“I…I’ve never had anyone that was interested in me and…I got scared that maybe you wanted…something from me. And that once you got what you wanted; you’d leave me.”

“Wanda. I don’t want anything from you. I just want you.”

“But don’t people just…get together for…” Wanda couldn’t bring herself to say the word. Claire smiled slightly at her innocence.

“The word is ‘sex’, Wanda, and no that’s not why I’m with you.” Claire got up from her chair and walked around the table and knelt beside Wanda. She took her hand and met her eyes. “While there are people who do that, I’m not one of them. I would never do that to you because you mean so much to me. You want to know what I like about you? I like how innocent you are and how when people catch us kissing or holding hands your face turns a beautiful red. I like the sound of your accent saying my name. I like the feeling of your skin against mine. I like how you bring out the best in me; how you are literally the only person who can calm me down and stop me from shifting. I like the color of your eyes especially when the sun hits them at the perfect angle and I can see a beautiful forest expand before my eyes. I like how you’re not afraid of me. Wanda, I like everything about you. I can’t pick one thing. You’re a beautiful person, both inside and out, and I’m glad that I can call her mine.”

Claire reached up and wiped Wanda’s tear away and stood up, leaning down slightly. She pressed her lips against Wanda’s in a loving and passionate kiss, hoping to prove the sincerity in her words. Wanda reached up and wrapped her arms around Claire’s neck, pulling her down further into a hug.

“I’m so lucky to have you,” Wanda said, releasing Claire. Claire smiled and placed a gentle kiss against Wanda’s forehead.

“I think I’m the lucky one.”


	35. Trick-or-Treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second part of Claire and Wanda's first date.

The two finished their dinner and walked out of the restaurant hand-in-hand, smiling as the cool autumn air blew past them, making Claire shiver slightly.

“Are you cold?” Wanda asked, stopping as they reached the car.

“No, I’m fine.” Claire unlocked the car and grabbed her mask, Wanda’s hat and broom, and two little pumpkin buckets. She handed Wanda her hat and broom and a bucket and placed her mask and bucket on the hood of the car as she tied her hair back up in a bun. She then placed her mask over her head and grabbed her bucket and locked the car again.

“What are we doing now Claire?” Wanda asked as she adjusted her hat on her head.

“You’ll see,” was all Claire said as she led the way down the opposite end of the street. The sun had already gone down an hour ago and there were already herds of children running about as they ran up to houses. A chorus of “trick or treat” could be heard as the young couple made their way down towards the decorated houses. Wanda’s eyes lit up like a child’s on Christmas as she marveled at the intricate decorations and costumes of the children that ran past them in the street.

“Claire what is this?” she asked, trying hard to contain her excitement.

“Tonight we are going to celebrate Halloween together. We’re gonna start with some trick or treating, and then the town throws a little Halloween party, so I figured we could go to that, but if you don’t want to, we could head back and watch some Halloween movies in our costumes and eat candy all night.” Wanda’s smile grew and her teeth shone bright against the darkened street. Her smile melted Claire’s heart and relaxed her. She did good.

“That sounds amazing,” Wanda gushed in a giddy voice. Claire chuckled at her and held out her hand. Wanda took it without missing a beat and started to pull Claire along, looking at the spooky decorations of the neighborhood houses.

Walking up to their first house, Claire said, “Now what you want to do is ring the doorbell, and when they answer, say ‘trick or treat’ and they’ll give you candy.” Wanda nodded as Claire rang the doorbell. A small group of kids ran up onto the porch with them and gazed at their costumes. Claire playfully rolled her eyes when she saw two little boys dressed as Captain America and Iron Man. One of the boys tugged on Wanda’s dress, gaining her attention.

“What are you supposed to be?” the boy dressed as Captain America asked her, looking curious. Wanda smiled at him and held up her broom.

“I’m a witch. And who are you supposed to be?” The boy beamed and puffed out his little chest.

“I’m Captain America! The greatest hero ever!” the boy exclaimed. His friend dressed as Iron Man turned to him and stomped his foot.

“No way! Iron Man is the greatest hero ever! He has a super high-tech suit that shoots missiles and lasers and everything. What does Captain America have? He just has a shield.” 

Wanda knelt beside the boys and looked at both of them, placing a gentle hand on each of their shoulders.

“Boys, you don’t need to fight. They’re both the greatest heroes ever. There can be more than one great hero.”

“And besides,” Claire said, turning the boys’ attention to the shapeshifter dressed as a werewolf. “I think the greatest hero is Black Widow. Think about it. Iron Man has his missiles and lasers and Captain America has his shield, but Black Widow doesn’t need that. She relies on her brain to outsmart the bad guys, and sometimes, that’s better than being strong. Plus, she could totally beat Iron Man _and _Captain America in a fight. Trust me, I’ve seen it happen.” Claire sent Wanda a wink as the boys’ mouths dropped open at hearing that she saw the Avengers, not realizing that on a technicality they were talking to two members of the team.

The door opened and the four of them each said, “trick or treat”. The man who opened the door marveled at the costumes of the boys and smiled at Wanda and Claire before giving them all one handful of candy. They thanked the man and started to walk down the walkway before the boys stopped and turned back to Wanda and Claire.

“How did you see Black Widow beat Captain America and Iron Man?” Claire walked up to them and got down on one knee in front of them and looked around suspiciously before leaning down.

“Can you both keep a secret?” she whispered. The boys nodded their heads seriously and Wanda giggled to herself. _She’s good with kids_.

“You see my friend over there?” Claire asked nodding in Wanda’s direction. The boys looked over at her and Wanda smiled and waved when she saw them look. “Me and her, we’re both members of the Avengers. She’s got magic and I can turn into a werewolf. In fact, we’re in our Avengers uniforms right now. We figured it would be the perfect Halloween costume.”

“Are you undercover looking for bad guys?” the little Iron Man asked.

“Oh, of course. But don’t tell anyone, or you could blow our cover. Can you keep this between us?” she asked seriously and raised her eyebrow at them. The boys stood up straighter and saluted her.

“Of course!”

“Good. Now run along and don’t get into trouble. And watch out for the bad guys!” Claire told them as they ran off happily. Wanda came up behind her as she got up and lifted her mask to place a small kiss on her cheek.

“You’re really good with kids,” she said as they walked to another house. Claire smiled and shrugged it off.

“It’s not that hard. You just gotta humor them.”

“No, I think it comes from somewhere inside. I don’t know what, but whatever it is, you have it.” Claire blushed a little and thanked God that she was wearing a mask.

○○○

They visited a few more houses and their buckets were getting filled and heavy. Wanda’s smile never left her face as they strolled up and down different decorated streets. They continued to run into the little Iron Man and Captain America a couple more times after that, and every time, they saluted the two women who would salute back to them. Claire was glad that Wanda was having fun and enjoying herself. Wrapping her arm around her waist, Claire pulled Wanda closer to her and nuzzled her with her wolf mask, causing a loud laugh to escape her lips as the fake fur tickled her cheek. Claire smiled at the sound; it was the most beautiful sound in the world, the second being the sound of her name coming from accented lips.

“Did you want to keep going or head over to the party?” Claire asked, pulling them both to a stop. Wanda smiled and pulled off Claire’s mask, kissing her briefly.

“Why don’t we head to the party. I’d like to get in a dance with my best girl,” Wanda said twirling in Claire’s hold. Claire laughed and blushed again, now wishing she didn’t have this mask so that she could sweep Wanda into her arms and kiss her passionately.

They walked the few blocks further into the town, arriving at the party which was more like a block party. Music blared from various speakers surrounding a DJ and a dancefloor where people were already dancing. There were food stands and tables, little carnival games with cheap prizes, a little Ferris Wheel, and a merry-go-round. Lights and decorations were strung around on light posts and buildings, completely illuminating that festivities. Claire led Wanda over to the entrance and gave the lady at the entrance their tickets who in turn gave them a paper band and a smile.

Walking inside, Wanda’s smile grew larger, and Claire was sure that her face was hurting from all the smiling she had done that night. Wanda led Claire past the different venders and games, her face lighting up at one game in particular; the test your strength hammer game. Claire stood beside her giggling as Wanda’s face contorted in confusion as she tried to study the object of the game. She stared at the tower and watched the multi-colored lights illuminate the tower and point out different markers running up until it hit a large metal bell. A metal weight sat at the bottom on top of a lever.

“So…you just hit the thing with the hammer?”

“Yep,” Claire said as she took out a dollar and gave it to the young woman next to the stand. She smiled and handed her the hammer.

“Hit bell, win a prize. You get three tries.” Claire smirked. _Seemed easy enough. I can totally hit that bell. _She held the hammer in her hands, straightened her back and cracked her neck as she took a deep breath. She lifted the hammer, swung it behind her, following through until it came all the way around, hitting the lever which propelled the weight upwards, shooting up the length of the tower. Claire smiled as she watched it soar but frowned when it stated to slow down a quarter of the way up.

“Ooh, ‘weakling’,” the lady said. “Try again.” Claire huffed and repositioned the hammer and swung it again, hitting it with much more force. The weight shot up again, only it barely made it past “weakling”.

“Come on, Claire,” Wanda said from behind her. Claire ignored her wolf and once again repositioned the hammer. She took another deep breath and swung the hammer again with as much strength and force as she could muster. This time, the weight flew past “weakling”, which made Claire happy, but it still didn’t reach the bell. The weight slowed down around the middle of the tower before it stopped and came back down.

“Nice try. Better luck next time,” the lady said giving Claire a small smile. Claire frowned and grumbled as she walked away. Wanda draped an arm around her and placed a big kiss on her cheek.

“You did really well.” 

“It’s rigged, I’m telling you. There’s no way I shouldn’t have not hit the bell. I’m a freaking Avenger! I’m strong. I’m not a weakling.”

“Of course not, sweetie.”

“It’s rigged, Wanda! If it wasn’t rigged I could definitely hit the bell.”

“I know. I believe you.” Wanda grinned at her as she continued to grumble under her breath about how the game was rigged.

They walked around a little while longer, playing different games and trying to bandage Claire’s damaged pride. Luckily enough, Claire was really good at the darts game, and managed to pop a balloon with each dart. The older man behind the stand smiled at her and handed her a large stuffed bear, which Claire then promptly handed to Wanda, blushing so hard that the redness creeped up to her ears. Wanda bit her lip as she grinned and kissed Claire lightly on the cheek.

After walking some more, they neared the dance floor, and Wanda pulled Claire closer to her. She took off her mask and laid a hand on her cheek, a sparkle twinkling in her green eyes.

“I want to dance with you,” she whispered in her ear. Claire smiled sweetly and leaned in close to Wanda’s ear.

“Go have the DJ play something slow.” Wanda winked at her and walked over to the DJ. Claire turned towards a table and laid the bear and her mask down on a chair, hoping that someone wouldn’t take them. Wanda came skipping back over to her, a huge smile on her face as the music changed to a nice romantic slow song.

Claire led Wanda towards the middle of the floor, placing her right hand on Wanda’s waist and her left holding Wanda’s right hand and Wanda placed her left hand on Claire’s shoulder. Claire felt her face heat up as she gazed at Wanda’s breath-takingly beautiful smile. Nervousness set back in and her palms started to sweat, and every nerve in her body screamed at her to pull away, but Wanda kept her grip, not caring about Claire’s sweaty palms.

They swayed a little bit, feeling the rhythm of the music as it flowed through them. _“I’ll never stop trying. I’ll never stop watching as you leave. I’ll never stop losing my breath every time I see you looking back at me. I’ll never stop holding your hand. I’ll never stop opening your door. I’ll never stop choosing you babe. I’ll never get used to you.” _Once they got comfortable, Wanda closed the little bit of distance between them and laid her head against Claire’s chest, listening to the steady beat of her heart as it thumped against her chest in time with the music.

_“And with this love song to you, it’s not a momentary phase. You are my life, I don’t deserve you, but you love me just the same. And as the mirror says we’re older, I want to look the other way. You are my life, my love, my only and that’s the one thing that won’t change.” _

Claire closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feeling of Wanda’s body pressed up against hers. Their dance was utter bliss. They still swayed, not doing anything fancy—mostly because this was all they could do—but it was enough. Wanda’s smile beamed bright though it was covered by Claire’s chest, and even through the thick flannel that she borrowed from Steve, Claire could still feel the gently tears that absorbed into the fabric. Claire opened her eyes and gazed down at Wanda. Her eyes were also closed and the smile still there, and though it was hard to see, Claire saw the wet streak from where her tears fell.

_“You still get my heart racing. You still get my heart racing. You still get my heart racing. You still get my heart racing for you. I’ll never stop trying. I’ll never stop watching as you leave. I’ll never stop losing my breath every time I see you looking back at me. I’ll never stop holding your hand. I’ll never stop opening your door. I’ll never stop choosing you babe. I’ll never get used to you.”_

Claire pulled away from Wanda just the tiniest bit and removed her hand from Wanda’s and wiped away her tears. Wanda looked up at her, her smile still shining bright as the world around them disappeared and it was just them on dancefloor. Claire smiled down at her and moved her hand to under Wanda’s chin and lifted it, bringing Wanda closer to her. She bit her tongue hard, preventing her from saying those three little words. She desperately wanted to say it, thinking that there wouldn’t be a more perfect time, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t do it. Claire leaned in and grazed Wanda’s lips with her own, placing a delicate and passionate kiss. They stopped their swaying and stood in the middle of the dancefloor kissing each other with as much adoration and affection that Claire _hoped _said the words better than she ever could.

When they pulled away, breathless, heads swimming, and faces red, Claire rested her forehead against Wanda’s not wanting to let her go just yet. The song had ended, but still played in each of their minds. Wanda removed her hand from Claire’s shoulder and wrapped both arms around the back of her neck, pulling her down some more. Claire chuckled as she started swaying them again, quietly humming the song that had just played, ignoring the faster song that played in its place.

“I’ll never stop trying. I’ll never stop watching as you leave. I’ll never stop losing my breath every time I see you looking back at me. I’ll never stop holding your hand. I’ll never stop opening your door. I’ll never stop choosing you babe. I’ll never get used to you,” Claire sung, whispering the words in Wanda’s ear and gently kissing the side of her face just below her ear.

Wanda sniffled and pulled away, looking into Claire’s eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but soon closed it before she opened it again. Her mouth hung open as her heart pounded in her chest. Now it was her turn for her palms to sweat. She cleared her throat, stalling until she found the courage to speak. _Should I…no! No, I can’t say it now. No one says that on the first date._

“You’re amazing. Do you know that? Utterly amazing.” Claire grinned a goofy grin at Wanda’s words and planted another kiss upon her lips.

“Not as amazing as you. Do you hear me?”

“I hear you,” Wanda whispered as she settled into Claire’s arms, enjoying the gentle sway that she had started. The more she stayed, the more she began to think that Claire’s arms were where she belonged. She sighed, content, as they moved to their song that played in their heads.


	36. Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part three of Claire and Wanda's date.

They didn’t stay at the party long; leaving after their dance. When the fast song ended, Wanda pulled away from Claire, kissed her once more, and walked over to the table where their things remained untouched and watched as Claire went up and talked to the DJ. She watched him fumble around a bit before handing Claire a small flat square case. Claire soon joined her and the two of them left the party and began walking back to the car.

“What did he give you?” Wanda asked as they get away from the loud music of the party. Claire held up the CD case and handed it to Wanda. She inspected the disc through the see-through case, reading the name of the song: _Never Stop (Wedding Version) by SafetySuit_.

“It’s the song that played when we danced. I thought it would be nice to know the name of our song.” Claire placed her arm around Wanda’s waist, pulling her close and kissed her lightly on her cheek. Wanda beamed at the gesture and held the CD close to her chest, feeling her face heat up once more. _Our song. _She liked the sound of that.

The walk to the car didn’t take long and Claire unlocked it, placing her mask and Wanda’s hat, broom and bear in the backseat next to their buckets of candy, and they both got in. Claire started the car and pulled out of the parking space, heading in the direction of the safe house. Wanda took out her phone, sent a quick message to Jemma letting her know they were on their way home, and sighed contently.

“You okay?” Claire asked, glancing at her, voice full of concern. Wanda chuckled and put her phone away after reading Jemma’s reply.

“Of course,” she said still beaming. She placed her hand on Claire’s thigh and leaned over in her seat and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for tonight.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad we were able to do this.”

“Me too. It was a really great idea. I had a lot of fun.”

“I’m glad. I was paranoid all week thinking it would go wrong or that it wouldn’t be as fun as it sounded—”

“I love it when you worry like that,” Wanda said biting her lip. Claire sent her a confused look.

“You love when I worry?” she asked, not bothering to stop her laughter. Wanda blushed and stammered as she thought of a way to explain herself.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I guess what I meant was, when you worry like that, it shows me that you really care, and that’s what I love. I love that you care so much about me and what I think.” Claire’s smile softened and she glanced down at Wanda’s hand on her thigh and then up to her eyes before looking back at the darkened road.

“Of course I care about what you think. I love yo—” her heart stopped; she wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying and she almost said _it_. “your opinion.” _Nice save_. “I mean, you mean a lot to me, and I want you to be comfortable with me.” She hoped that Wanda didn’t notice her little slip up, and she was grateful for the darkness of the outside and inside of the car to help hide her panicked face and deep blush. Wanda smiled and leaned back in her seat, resting her head against the back of her seat and closed her eyes.

“I like spending time with you,” she muttered.

“I like spending time with you, too.”

“Claire?” she asked, opening her eyes again and looking at the redhead.

“Yeah?” Claire wanted to look at her, but she had to keep her eyes on the road.

“When we get back, can we still watch that movie in our costumes and eat our candy?” Claire giggled, almost perfectly picturing the innocent pouty face that Wanda gave whenever she wanted something, which included biting her bottom lip when it came to Claire.

“Of course we can, but to be honest, I’m probably going to change into some comfy pjs. I think this fake hair is giving me a rash.” Claire exaggerated of course, and Wanda laughed her beautiful laugh.

“You mean it doesn’t feel like the same thing?” she joked back making Claire laugh too.

“Absolutely not, but why don’t you give it a feel and you tell me.” Claire grinned at her, fully accepting the fact that she might be really bad at flirting.

Wanda looked at the CD case still in her hands and opened it, gazing at the CD. A small smile spread across her lips as she remembered the warmth she felt with Claire’s arms wrapped around her and the shivers that ran down her spine when Claire sung in her ear. She thought back to the small sparks that exploded on her skin when Claire kissed her. She liked all of those things; it was almost like a high, an ecstasy that she’s never experienced before and so much wanted to go back to.

They soon arrived back at the safe house, and as Claire pulled into the driveway, Wanda’s hand fell on hers, stopping her from turning the car off and getting out.

“Wait,” she said, causing Claire to stop moving and look at her. She held up the CD in her other hand, a dreamy smile on her face. “I want to dance with you. One more time before we go in.”

Claire grinned and took the CD from her and placed it into the stereo and turned up the volume. The song started to play, and the two of them got out of the car, leaving the doors open, and stood in front of the car, headlights blaring at them, casting lovely shadows on the garage door. They resumed their position of Claire’s right hand on Wanda’s waist and her left hand in her right, and Wanda’s left hand on her shoulder, and Claire pulled her close, brushing her nose against Wanda’s as they spun around in a slow circle, all wrapped up in the song.

They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn’t notice the curtains of the front window shifting open as the nomad Avengers and Jemma watched them dance with approving and loving smiles glued to their faces.

The song ended much faster than Claire would’ve liked, but she looked down at Wanda’s face, still smiling and kissed her forehead. There will be a more perfect moment, she thought, as they pulled away. Claire went back to into the car, grabbed their things with the help of Wanda, and closed the doors and locked the car before the two of them headed towards the front door. Wanda stopped suddenly in front of the door and turned towards Claire.

“I really did have fun tonight,” she said quietly.

“I did too.” Wanda stepped closer to her and briefly glanced at her lips that were starting to swell.

“So…I did my own little bit of research on first dates, and something that I found was that, if the moment’s right, people will kiss when the date’s over and they drop their date off at their house,” Wanda said quietly, biting her lip. Claire sent her a cheeky smiled and leaned in, but stopped before their lips touched, teasing her.

“But the date’s not over yet, is it?” And Claire pulled away and placed her key into the lock, opening the front door. Wanda huffed but grinned at her as she walked in, already meeting Jemma’s smiling face. The rest of the team sat in the living room, acting as naturally as possible, hoping that they wouldn’t pick up on the fact that they were all spying on the young couple.

“So, how was it?” Jemma asked, closing a book. Wanda smiled as her cheeks turned a light pink.

“It was great. We had fun.” Claire studied the room and the faces of her teammates and family and gently pushed Wanda through the room, sensing the barrage of nosey questions that were about to be thrusted at them.

“Yeah, so we’re gonna go watch a movie and just relax. Come on, Wanda,” Claire said, her face a dark red. Wanda tried to suppress her giggles as they left the room and walked into Claire’s room. Claire closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a deep sigh.

“Keep the door open!” they heard Jemma yell from the living room, and Claire let out a groan as she flopped onto her bed, covering her face with her hands, the redness in her face spreading to her ears. Wanda laughed as she crawled on the bed next to her and rested her head against her chest.

“You know she’s just kidding, right?”

“Of course I do, but it doesn’t make it any less embarrassing.” They laid there for a while, Claire having moved her hands from her face to come around and embrace Wanda. She planted a small kiss against her temple and played with the ends of her brown hair. After a minute, Claire got up and walked towards her dresser, pulling out a pair of long red pajama pants and a black t-shirt. She then walked over to her closet and pulled out a blue towel. “Do you mind if I hop in the shower really quick?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Wanda started to get comfy on Claire’s bed, taking off her shoes and placing them on the floor and tying her brown hair up into a ponytail. “Do you want me to join you?” Claire froze, her fingers grazing the doorknob. Her face blushed a bright red, expanding all the way to her ears and down her neck. She slowly turned towards Wanda; her mouth hung open in shock. Wanda bit her lip trying to hold in the laughter, but she failed and she fell back on the bed, howling in laughter. When Claire realized she was kidding, she sighed and rolled her eyes, but the redness didn’t go away. “I’m so sorry! I should’ve have done that, but I just couldn’t resist!”

“You’re so cruel, you know that?” Claire asked, attempting to hide the small smile that crept up on her face. Wanda got off the bed and hugged Claire, still laughing. “I thought you were actually serious.”

“I’m sorry,” she giggled. “_Do _you want me to join you?” Her tone was much more serious than before and even slightly accusatory. Claire looked at her with sincerity.

“I kind of do, but I’m only gonna let you join me when _you’re _ready to join me.” Before Wanda could reply, Claire left her room and entered the bathroom down the hall.

○○○

When Claire came back from her shower, she settled onto the bed, pulling Wanda close to her, and started the movie. While she was gone, Wanda also changed out of her costume and into pajamas and brought their buckets of candy on the bed with her.

Wanda laughed as Claire quoted different lines of the movie in the same dramatic tone as the actors.

“How many times have you seen this movie?” she asked giggling. Claire laughed with her.

“Too many times. I used to watch it a lot as a kid. It was one of my favorite movies.” Realization suddenly struck Claire, and she hopped out of the bed, scaring Wanda. “Oh! I almost forgot. I got you something.”

“Claire, you didn’t have to get me anything…” Wanda said, guilt washing over her since she didn’t get Claire anything. Claire ignored her moved to her closet and pulled out the extra bags of chocolate.

“I wasn’t sure how good the pickings would be when we went trick-or-treating or how long we would stay, so I went ahead a bought extra candy.” She handed the bags to Wanda who inspected the packaging. She studied the blue bags, reading the words _Crunch_ and smiled.

“My favorite…but how?”

“I saw you eating them at one point and you made a comment about how they were your favorite.” Claire shrugged. “I know it’s not much, but…I wanted to make you happy.” Wanda placed the bags down on the bed and got up and embraced Claire, snuggling into her chest. She felt the damp tips of Claire’s red hair dance lightly against her fingers and she moved her hands up and ran her fingers through it, humming happily.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy,” she mumbled in Claire’s chest, shivering as Claire’s chuckle reverberated through her. She gripped her tighter, trying to pull her as close as she possibly could. “You make me happy, Claire.”

Claire smiled a loving smile and said, “You make me happy, too.”

They soon pulled away and went back to the bed and finished the movie and a good portion of their candy, which they would regret later. Wanda started to fall asleep towards the end of the movie, and when it was over, Claire picked her up and carried her down the hall to her room, disregarding Wanda’s protests.

She pushed Wanda’s door open with her foot and walked over to her bed, gently laying her down on her unmade bed. Wanda grabbed the blankets and pulled them over her as she settled down. Her eyes fluttered as she fought the exhaustion and stared into Claire’s gorgeous purple eyes.

“Go to sleep, Wanda,” Claire whispered as she knelt down by the bed. She then stood up, placed a kiss on Wanda’s forehead and made her way to the door.

“Wait,” Wanda called out to her. She stopped and walked back. Wanda sat up and wiggled her finger, beckoning Claire closer. “The date’s over now, so you have to kiss me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Claire whispered as she pulled Wanda in for a kiss. It was short, but sweet and passionate and left her feeling weightless.

“Thank you again for tonight. I had a really great time.”

“You’re welcome. Goodnight Wanda.” She left her side, giving her one more smile and opened her door.

“Goodnight Claire,” was the last thing she heard before she closed the door and headed back to her room.


	37. Unexpected Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor comes to Claire and Wanda.

Wanda watched from the porch of their log cabin, smiling as Claire’s giant wolf chased Jemma around while she was holding a sandwich. She giggled at Jemma’s playful screams and cries for help, but she stayed on the porch twirling a small red wisp of energy around in her hand. She was happy, happier than she’s been in a long time, and she had Claire to thank for that.

Their relationship was good and stronger than ever, and this past year they celebrated their second anniversary. The two of them were now living back in Victoria’s Island with Jemma, having decided that the two of them needed a bit of a break from hero business. The team was understandably upset at the news that they wanted to leave and go off on their own, but they understood and in the end, agreed with them. The team—at least to Wanda’s knowledge—had stayed in Greenville and went around the world doing low-scale heroing.

Before Wanda, Claire, and Jemma departed, Steve had given them a two-way tracker that allowed the three of them to track the rest of the team and vice versa, that way, if there was ever an emergency on either end, help would be on the way.

As much as Wanda liked being with Claire and Jemma, she did miss the rest of the team, but leaving was the better choice. Ever since they moved to their cabin, Wanda’s anxiety hadn’t bothered her. Everything was perfect, and she couldn’t be happier.

“Wanda, protect my sandwich!” Jemma yelled as she tossed her sandwich away from her and Claire to Wanda. Wanda didn’t hear her or see the sandwich that came hurtling towards her. Her instincts kicked in right at the last second as she saw it coming from the corner of her eyes, and before she could comprehend what the object was, she flexed her hands, creating a scarlet forcefield in front of her to protect her. Jemma’s sandwich hit the forcefield with a small thud as it bounced off and fell apart in the grass. Claire ran over and ate the broken sandwich off the ground, her wolf yipping happily as Jemma stared in sadness.

Once Claire finished Jemma’s sandwich, she walked up the steps to the cabin to the porch, still in her wolf form, and sat next to Wanda, laying her giant head in her lap. She licked around her mouth for a few minutes, making sure to get every bit of sandwich that was left and Wanda let out a giggle as she ran her fingers through her soft fur and scratched the base of her ear when she got to it. Claire let out a low growl of pleasure that sounded something like a purr and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling.

“You couldn’t have at least tried to save my sandwich?” Jemma asked as she came up on the porch and sat on the other side of Wanda.

“I’m sorry. I was…”

“Distracted? You’ve been distracted a lot lately. Is everything okay?” Wanda sighed and stopped petting Claire and her head snapped up.

She let out a little whine as Wanda looked at her. Claire could sense that for a while she had been feeling worried about something, regardless of her happiness. Claire sat up and leaned her head over towards Wanda’s and lightly licked her cheek and nuzzled her snout in her hair.

“I’m fine; just a little worried I think.” Wanda moved her hands back to her lap and played with her rings. Claire shifted back to her human form and took Wanda’s hand into her own.

“Is it the visions again?” she asked when Wanda turned her head to look at her. Wanda nodded.

“They’re not really visions, but it’s like my powers are trying to tell me something, but whenever I try to listen, it just sounds like a large group of people yelling. It’s incoherent, but…it worries me. I’m fine though, I just have a bad feeling.” Claire placed a kiss on her hand.

“Should we leave? Find the others?”

“No. I’m sure it’s nothing. Let’s not bother the others, especially since we don’t know what it is. It’s probably nothing,” Wanda said leaning back to lay in Claire’s arms. Claire looked over at Jemma, silently pleading with her to talk some sense into Wanda. They both knew she never had these “visions” before they separated from the rest of the team, and that for some reason something changed, and that worried Claire.

She was worried more for Wanda’s sake. She would often wake up at night either from a nightmare that her powers would give her or it was these “visions”, and because she didn’t want to wake Claire, she would go outside and sit on the porch. Eventually, Claire would sense that she wasn’t there and it happened enough that every time it happened; she knew that Wanda was outside. Because of her lack of sleep, Wanda started going to bed earlier in an effort to make up for the sleep that she lost from her “visions”, but it never seemed like enough.

“Wanda,” Claire said, bringing Wanda’s face up to look at her serious one, her overprotectiveness coming out. “I think we should tell them. That way, if something does happen, they’ll be aware and can help us. We don’t have to leave, but…I think we should let them know.”

“She’s right, Wanda,” Jemma said in a low voice. “Just as a precaution.”

Claire was glad that Jemma was taking her side on this, because if she didn’t Wanda wouldn’t do anything about it. It was harder to say no to both of them than one. She sighed and stood up.

“Fine. I’ll call Steve now,” she said disappearing into the cabin. Claire scoot closer to Jemma.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Jemma’s head turned towards her, watching as Claire stared out into the tree-line.

“For what?”

“For siding with me.”

“Well…I know she would’ve let it go if I hadn’t.” Jemma followed Claire’s gaze and stared into the trees.

“I’m worried about her,” Claire said after a moment of silence. Jemma looked back over at her and saw the small tear that rolled down her cheek and her heart broke.

“Yeah, me too.”

“I thought us getting away would help her, and in a way it has…” she paused to swallow the lump that formed in her throat. “Jemma, I’m supposed to protect her. But I can’t protect her from this. I just feel so…helpless.”

Jemma reached out and pulled the younger woman into her arms, holding her and rubbing her back.

“Claire, you know better than I do that she’s been happier since we came out here. I know you’re worried, but she can protect herself.”

“I know she can, but I’m still—”

“I just told Steve. He said he’ll be on the lookout for anything suspicious,” Wanda said as she came back outside. Claire straightened her legs out and opened them slightly, creating room and Wanda came over and sat in the open space. Claire wrapped her arms around Wanda’s waist and leaned forward to kiss her neck. “What were you guys talking about?”

“Nothing, babe. Just talking about the weather,” Claire said kissing her neck again. Wanda squealed as strands of Claire’s hair tickled her as Claire moved her head to kiss different parts of her face and neck.

“You two are so cute,” Jemma gushed as she got up and headed for the door. “I’m gonna start making dinner. How’s pasta?” 

“That’s fine,” Wanda said craning her neck to look at Jemma. Claire let out an approving groan as she continued to pepper Wanda’s face with little kisses. Jemma smiled at them and disappeared inside.

“I know you two were talking about me,” Wanda said in a low voice. Within the past two years, Claire noticed the subtle disappearance of her Sokovian accent that was replaced with a more American accent. A part of her was sad to see it go, but the rest of her knew that it was important for Wanda to do all she could to keep from being recognized, and if changing her accent helped, than Claire was all for it.

Claire sighed and shoved her face into her recently dyed hair. The subtle red color would take some getting used to since she was used to her natural dark brown, but Claire had to admit; the lighter color suited her.

“We were just saying how much you’ve changed since we came back here.”

“I hope it’s a good change,” Wanda said as she turned around and wrapped her legs around Claire’s waist and her arms around her neck. Claire smile at her and pressed her forehead against hers.

“It’s definitely a good change. You’re…happier. You’re calmer. More carefree, despite your “visions”. I like this Wanda.” Wanda bit her lip and sent her a cheeky smile.

“So, you didn’t like me before we came here?” Claire laughed.

“I never said that.”

Wanda leaned her head down on Claire’s shoulder, relaxing into her hold.

“I know. I’m just teasing.”

“Hey, we have a little while until dinner’s ready. You want to go for a run?” Claire asked, her eyes glowing. Wanda picked her head up off Claire’s shoulder and smiled.

“Sure.” Wanda got up from between Claire’s legs and helped her up. Claire ran down the steps and shifted into her wolf and knelt down in the grass waiting for Wanda who ran inside to tell Jemma they were going for a run. She ran out of the cabin and hopped on Claire’s back, grabbing fistfuls of fur to help her hang on.

Claire waited a second, turning her head to look at Wanda, making sure that she was ready and then quickly took off towards the tree-line, disappearing into the forest. Wanda laughed as the wind rushed by her, blowing her hair into her face and mouth.

“Don’t go so fast,” she squealed as she laughed. Claire turned her head a little and slowed down her pace.

Claire ran all the way to a small waterfall that she found one day while she was running. She stopped at the cliff, the roaring sound of rushing water filled their ears and Wanda giggled as the light mist sprayed her when she got off Claire’s back. She shifted back and grabbed Wanda’s hand and led her to a patch of grass that wasn’t as long as the grass around them. Claire sat down facing the water fall, the setting sun casting its last rays at them. Wanda followed her lead and once more sat in between her legs. She grabbed Claire’s hands and wrapped them around her waist and leaned back against Claire chest. Wanda took one of Claire’s hands and intertwined their fingers and brought it up to her lips, gently kissing each finger.

Claire sighed and tightened her grip on Wanda’s body, suddenly afraid that this was just a dream; a figment of her imagination that she thought up because she was lonely, and that she was really all alone in her cell in Sokovia or the Raft. Wanda sensed her change in mood and shifted a bit, craning her neck to look at Claire.

“What’s wrong?” Claire inhaled a shaky breath, a tear rolling down her cheek. Wanda reached up and wiped it away.

“I’m afraid,” she whispered, another tear falling down. Wanda’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion and she fully turned around, once again wrapping her legs around Claire’s waist.

“What are you afraid of?” Her left hand circled around Claire’s neck while her right hand wiped at her tears and rested against her cheek.

“That this isn’t real. That you’re not real. That we…that this is a dream. I’m afraid that I never met you and that I’m alone in Sokovia, still being tortured by Strucker and that I’m losing my mind to cope with the pain. I’m afraid that I’ll go to sleep one night and when I wake up you’ll be gone because you were never really there to begin with. I…how do I know you’re real?”

Wanda’s heart broke. She wasn’t sure how long Claire had been feeling like this or how long she had had these thoughts. How many nights had they spelt together that Claire spent half the night awake because she was afraid that if she fell asleep, Wanda would just disappear? How many nightmares had she had where she woke up in her Sokovian cell alone? How many sweet dreams turned into haunting nightmares that included Claire losing the one thing that kept her tethered to her sanity?

Wanda removed her left hand from around Claire’s neck and placed it on her opposite cheek, forcing her purple eyes to look into her green ones. Her thumbs wiped away the tears that continued to spill and Wanda gave Claire a sad smile.

“I’m here Claire,” she whispered, the remnants of her accent poking through as she said her name. “I’m right here. Do you feel me?” Claire nodded her head. “I’m real. I’m really here and so are you. I once told you that I felt like I was…I was back in the Raft and do you know what you told me? You said, ‘You are not back in that place. I will never let you go back there, okay? I’ll fight anyone that tries to put you back there. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again.’ And guess what. The same goes for you, Claire. I’m _never _going to let you go back to that cell. You’re here with me, safe and sound.”

Wanda finished her speech by pulling on Claire’s neck, bringing her down to connect her lips with Wanda’s. Claire closed her eyes at the contact and more tears spilled out. Wanda pulled away after a minute and stared into Claire’s tear-filled eyes and placed light kisses on the wet streaks. The sun set behind them, its golden light landing on Wanda’s hair, illuminating it and setting it ablaze. Claire smiled at the image and swallowed the lump in her throat. Wanda soon pulled away and placed another hand on her cheek and smiled.

Claire leaned her head into Wanda’s touch. Her heart felt content, and her mind was clear. This was it; this was the moment that she had been waiting for. She reached up and took Wanda’s hand off her cheek and held it, pressing her soft fingers against her chest above her heart. Wanda’s green eyes sparkled, and Claire’s heart melted. She was finally ready to admit it, out loud that _she loved Wanda Maximoff_.

“Wanda,” she said, her heart beating faster. “These past two years with you have been the best years of my life. You mean the world to me, and I’m so incredibly lucky and thankful that you came into my life. I don’t know what I did to deserve you or your love, but I thank God every day. You literally make me a better person, and I’m so thankful and indebted to you. Wanda, I…” she took a deep breath. _Here goes. _“Wanda, I love you.”

Wanda’s eyes widened and tears slowly rose as she processed the words that Claire had just said. To say that she had waited two years to hear these words was an understatement, and if she was being honest, she was beginning to think they would never come. And yet, here they were, sitting in a forest, next to a waterfall with the sun setting in the background, and the woman that she loved admitted that she loved her. Her mind went blank. She didn’t know what to say—well, she _knew_ what to say because she spent a little more time than normal practicing in a mirror what she would say when the time was right and how she would react if Claire ever said it first, but all that practice went out the window. She was frozen in place, and she didn’t realize how long she had been staring without answering.

Claire’s mind was reeling as she watched Wanda stare at her, not saying anything. She started second guessing the moment, thinking that maybe she jumped the gun and that it was still too early to admit that. She bit her lip as the nervousness and silence started to suffocate her. She wanted Wanda to say something—she _needed _her to say something, anything.

“Say something,” Claire whispered, her voice cracking. Wanda still stared, her mouth opening and closing a few times, though no sound came out. Claire sighed and looked down. “I’m sorry. I think I just got ahead of myself. I didn’t mean—” 

“You love me?” Wanda asked, a tear rolling down her pale cheek. Claire lifted her head back up and looked up at her.

“I love you,” she repeated. Wanda bit her lip and glanced down.

“I—I love you too.” Claire’s worried frown disappeared and in its place appeared a glowing beaming smile that took up her whole face. She chuckled as she cried happy tears and pulled Wanda’s face closer to her, pressing her lips against hers.

This kiss was different than their other kisses. This one was long, hard but delicate, passionate but filled to the brim with every ounce of love the two of them had for each other. It was one that they’d remember for a long time. They pulled away to bring air back into their bodies, not because they wanted to, and their breathless selves gazed lovingly into each other eyes as they continued to cry in each other’s arms.

“I love you, so much,” Claire mumbled as she nuzzled her face into Wanda’s neck and hair. Wanda laughed as more tears spilled from her eyes, and she was thankful that she decided to not put make-up on earlier. Claire pursed her lips and planted tiny butterfly kisses along the length of Wanda’s neck, moving upwards until she got to her forehead and then she came back down and recaptured her lips.

“I love you too.” Wanda broke the kiss and embraced Claire and rested her chin on her shoulder, her hands moving up her back to tangle themselves in her long curly hair. She wiped her tears away and inhaled the sweet scent of Claire’s hair. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to say it.”

Claire pulled away and gave her a soft smile and said, “I was giving you space, I guess. I didn’t want to say it too early and make you uncomfortable or make you feel pressured to say it back. You know when I originally wanted to say it?”

“When?” Wanda giggled as Claire rubbed her nose against hers.

“Halloween. There were actually a lot of times that night that I wanted to say it. There was a moment in the restaurant, when we were trick-or-treating, our first dance; that was a big moment, when we were in the car heading home. I almost said it, actually.”

“I remember that,” she said smiling. “You slipped and covered it up with you saying you loved my opinion.” Claire giggled and wiped her nose.

“Yeah. I was hoping you didn’t catch that.” 

“I figured that, which is why I didn’t say anything. What were the other times?” Claire thought a moment, though she didn’t need to. Each instance in which she had wanted to say “I love you” stuck out in her mind.

“Let’s see…there was our dance in the driveway, when we were watching the movie and you were curled up against my side, and then when I carried you back to your room and tucked you in. That was it.” 

“I wish you had said it,” Wanda mumbled.

“I do too, but you gotta remember Wanda, at that point we were dating for like a couple weeks. It was too early. I wanted you to be absolutely sure.” 

“How does now differ from then?” Claire wasn’t sure, but this moment felt different than those many moments on Halloween. This moment simply felt _right_.

“I don’t know. All I know is that now feels right.” Wanda leaned head against Claire’s and gazed into her eyes, smiling brightly.

“I can’t thank you enough,” she said gulping. Claire’s eyebrows knitted together.

“What for, love?” The tears returned to Wanda’s eyes and she gulped again.

“For loving me,” she said, her voice low and cracking. Two tears fell from her eyes, creating a wet trail down her cheeks that dripped on her clothes when they reached her chin. “For not being afraid of me. For giving me a chance. For not giving up on me. You saved me, Claire. You’re a hero.”

“Wanda. I’m no hero. You’re the hero. Captain America and Iron Man and Falcon are heroes. I’m not a hero.”

“You’re _my _hero, Claire. I never would’ve made it this far without you. Before Steve came for us, you were the only one there for me in the Raft. You didn’t even really know me. Since then, you’ve protected me from physical harm countless times, and comforted me whenever I have an anxiety attack or some kind of breakdown. You might think you’re not a hero, and who knows maybe you’re right, but you’re _my _hero. And that’s one of the reasons why I love you.”

○○○

The dinner table was quiet as the three of them ate their dinner. Jemma eyed the two women mysteriously, sensing the change in the mood when they returned. They were both glowing and radiating happiness and the curiosity bugged Jemma. She remembered how Lily would often scold her for being too nosey and curious about things, but she couldn’t help it; she was a curious person. She studied the two in front of her; Wanda and Claire were sitting closer to each other than usual and whenever they looked at each other, they would smile and blush a little (not that that was out of the ordinary for them, but it seemed…different). Jemma put her fork down on her plate and cleared her throat. Wanda and Claire looked up at her confused.

“Is everything okay? The air feels weird and it’s been like this since you guys came back. Did something happen?” Wanda and Claire looked at each other and their faces reddened some more. Realization hit Jemma and she groaned and covered her face with her hands. “Oh okay, I get it. You don’t have to tell me. Lord knows I don’t need to hear about your sex life.” Claire’s head snapped over in Jemma’s direction, eyes wide and eyebrows knitted together. Her blush spread to her neck and Wanda started coughing as she almost choked on her water.

“Jemma, what…the…_fuck_?!” Claire said loudly as she placed a hand on her chest to feel her heart. _Still beating, though it doesn’t feel like it_. Jemma looked at the both of them, confused.

“What? I don’t need to know all that. That’s your business and you’re both adults so you can do what you want, just…be safe—”

“Jemma, we’re not having sex,” Wanda mumbled from her end of the table, her pale face a beet red. Her eyes were looking down and Claire could tell she was playing with her rings again.

“What made you think that?” Claire chuckled, fining the whole thing embarrassingly funny.

“What—You’re not…? I…It doesn’t matter where I got the idea from.” Jemma dropped the issue and returned to her meal, her face turning a bright pink. “Just forget I said anything.”

Claire shot Wanda a look as she recovered from her coughing fit. They both laughed quietly to themselves as they went back to their dinner. Under the table, Claire’s hand reached out and found Wanda’s and they both intertwined their fingers. Wanda smiled as Claire’s thumb ran against the surface of her hand, putting her at ease.

After they all had finished eating and cleaning the dishes, Wanda and Claire disappeared into their shared room. Claire flopped on the bed as Wanda carefully shut the door, still a little frazzled at what happened at dinner. Claire let out a sigh and ran her hands over her face, giggling. She still couldn’t believe it. _Jemma really thought that we were having—_Claire couldn’t even think it with a straight face.

She sat up on the bed and looked over at Wanda who stood with her back against the wooden door, her lip between her teeth and her eyes staring straight ahead as she played with her rings again. Claire didn’t miss the subtle trembling of her hands. She quickly got off the bed and walked over to Wanda, placed her hands on her shoulders and pulled her from away from the door. Wanda reluctantly looked up Claire, but she still played with her rings. Claire’s eyes turned serious as she searched Wanda’s green ones. She was still trembling, but her heart rate and breathing were normal.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked. Wanda gulped and nodded her head.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Claire didn’t buy it for a minute.

“Wanda, what’s wrong?” Her voice was stern and low, and it scared Wanda. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with her; all she knew was that Jemma’s comment bothered her, much like Natasha’s comment had bothered her all that time ago in their motel room in San Pedro. She wasn’t even sure if she could put it into words other than “I don’t know”. And yet, that’s what she said.

“I don’t know.” 

“Bullshit. Now tell me what’s wrong.” Claire started to worry and she felt her wolf stir in her mind, getting angry, but not at Wanda. Her eyes flicked to a lighter purple and then back to their normal color. It was quick, but Wanda caught it, and took a step back from Claire. Claire’s eyes softened and she subconsciously let out a small whine. Guilt washed over her; she didn’t mean to scare her. “I’m sorry. I…I didn’t mean that. She’s not angry at you. _I’m _not angry. I just…” she huffed and ran a hand through her hair. “I know something’s bothering you, and I just wish you’d tell me.”

“Honestly, Claire, I don’t know what’s wrong. I just feel…weird. I have no explanation.” Wanda stepped back into Claire’s embrace and leaned her head on her chest. She was still trembling when Claire ran her hand through her hair.

Sighing, Claire said, “Don’t get me wrong, I love your hair this color, but I miss the brown.” Wanda snorted a laugh and a smile formed on both of their faces. Claire craned her neck down and planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Well, whatever it is, I hope it leaves you alone. And you know that you can always talk to me and tell me anything. You know that right?”

“Right. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“What else do you miss?” Wanda asked looking up at Claire, her chin resting against the middle of Claire’s chest. Claire giggled and grinned down at her. 

“To be honest, I miss the accent.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It was _incredibly _sexy. Especially when you would say my name, and you’d roll the “r” just the tiniest bit.” Claire groaned and shivered slightly, the sound playing in her mind. “It was enough to make me go weak at the knees.”

Wanda laughed loudly, red creeping up on her face and spreading down to her neck. Claire was grateful that she got her to laugh and relax. Her trembling had stopped which made Claire relax too. She leaned down and planted a delicate kiss on Wanda’s lips. She smiled into it when she felt Wanda’s fingers curl around the fabric of her shirt, grasping it tightly in her hands.

“Wanda! Claire! Can you two come out here for a minute?” They pulled away; hearing Jemma call them and Claire sighed softly. Wanda giggled and kissed her cheek. “There’s someone here to see you!”

“Come on. We should go out there. It could be Steve.” Wanda opened the door and left the room, Claire following close behind her. They walked down the hallway until they reached the kitchen and turned left into the living room. Jemma was standing in the middle of the room standing next to a bald man that Claire didn’t know with red and silver skin with a yellow object sitting in the middle of his forehead. The man wore a gray outfit with a golden cape. Wanda froze when she saw the man, her hand flying up to cover her mouth and a small gasp escaped her lips.

“Vision?”


	38. Vision's Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vision comes with a warning and Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight show up.

Wanda’s eyes were wide as she stared at the man named Vision. Vision smiled at her and stepped forward closer to her; his arms outstretched.

“Wanda,” he said as he embraced her. Wanda reluctantly hugged him back, her eyes still wide and filled with confusion. She hadn’t seen him since the airport battle in Germany; what was he doing here. “It is good to see you, Wanda.”

“Vision. What are you doing here?” Wanda asked pulling out of the hug and taking a step back closer to Claire. Claire opened her arm to Wanda, holding her gently.

“Who is this?” Claire asked, her eyes narrowing and a low growl vibrating through her chest. Wanda held up her hand, grazing Claire chest, telling her to stand down. Claire relaxed a little, but still stood her ground. Vision looked at her and tilted his head.

“I am Vision, an associate of Ms. Maximoff. Might I ask who you are?”

“Don’t worry about who I am.”

“Vision.” Wanda’s voice pulled them both out of their mini conversation. “What are you doing here? Did—did Stark send you?” Fear flooded Wanda at the idea of Tony finding out their location and sending the U.S. government to take them and send them back to the Raft. Claire’s arm tightened around Wanda.

“Mr. Stark is unaware of my intentions on seeing you. But I’m afraid that I’m here for more than a reunion. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?” Jemma left the room and the sound of a door closing was heard in the distance. Vision looked over past Wanda and at Claire expectantly, waiting for her to leave also. Claire caught on and another growl left her lips.

“Whatever you can say to her you can say to me.” Wanda turned around in her hold and placed a hand on her cheek. Vision nodded his head and ran a hand against the back of his neck.

“I’m afraid that I’m here with some rather unfortunate news. You’re in danger, Wanda.” Claire growled again, louder than before and her eyes glowed a light purple.

“What do you mean she’s in danger?” Claire asked.

“What are you talking about, Vision? What’s happening?” Vision stepped back and lightly touched the stone in his head, causing it to glow a light yellow.

“The stone has warned me of a threat. Someone is looking for the stone, and I’m afraid that they mixed up your energy signature with that of the stone. I…I saw them come here. I saw you, Wanda, and you need to leave before they get here.”

Just then, an explosion shook the cabin. Dust, pieces of roofing, and wood clattered to the ground as two giant figures dropped into the cabin from the gaping hole in the ceiling. Wanda let out a scream as Claire shoved her behind her back and take a protective stance. Vision straightened his back, readying for a fight.

The figures skulked towards the three of them. The one on the left, a woman, was tall with blue hair and small black horns that stood above her head starting from her eyes. Her eyes were a copper color and stared at the three of them with an intense glare. Armor covered every inch of her visible skin except her pale face and she held a glowing staff in her hand. The one next to her, a male, stood about the same height as the woman with a dark hooded helmet over his head. His armor was dark and his long grey face was contorted in a menacing scowl. Like the woman he held a long staff with sharp spears on both ends.

He growled at them as he looked at Claire, who growled right back. Wanda rested her hands on Claire’s tense shoulders, a scarlet mist appearing. Claire could feel Wanda trembling behind her and her wolf stirred, begging to be let out.

“We’re here for the stone,” the woman said looking at Wanda.

“She doesn’t have it,” Claire said. The man growled again.

“We know she does. We tracked it here, to her. Its signature; it calls to us. Now hand it over.” He bared his teeth at her. Claire sent him a smirk as her eyes glowed brighter.

“I don’t think so.” Claire straightened her back as her bones cracked and groaned, repositioning into her wolf form. She stood tall, towering over the man, and roared in anger before ramming her head into him, sending him flying through the walls. From her room, Jemma screamed as the man flew through and Vision took off in that direction. Claire turned towards the woman and growled, baring her fangs.

The woman pointed her staff at her and charged. Claire jumped out of the way and grabbed the staff with her teeth. She tried to pull the staff out of the woman’s grip, but she jumped up and kicked Claire hard in the nose, making her let go. Claire fell back into the pile of rubble on the floor under the hole in the ceiling, her shoulder landing on a sharp piece of wood. The woman stood up and charged at Wanda. She thrusted her staff at her and Wanda deflected, integrating her magic with her hand-to-hand combat. Wanda was quick as she dodged and deflected the staff, but the woman was faster; her attacks coming quickly, overwhelming her. She watched as Wanda moved, and when she faltered, she shot a blast at her from her staff, sending Wanda flying through the front window of the cabin.

Claire shifted back into her human form and got up from the pile of rubble, wincing in pain as a piece of wood stuck out in her shoulder. She gritted her teeth as she grasped it and pulled it out of her shoulder. Groaning in pain, she rolled her shoulders and neck, her bones creaking and she stepped towards the broken window. Before she could leave, the man entered the living room from the holes in the walls where Claire knocked him into. He ran over to her and before Claire could move to defend herself, he struck her with his spear, hitting her hard on the head. She stumbled and fell to the ground and brought her hand up to where he hit her, feeling the warm liquid of blood ooze out of a long gash. The man took advantage of her slow response time, and jumped onto her back, bringing his spear around Claire’s head, resting it just blow her neck, and thrusting upwards, choking her.

He pulled at her, picking her up from the ground, still choking her with his spear, and carried her through the broken window and onto the porch. He applied more pressure causing Claire to gasp and gag as she fought hard to bring air into her screaming lungs. Her hands flew up to her neck, searching for his, clawing at him, desperately trying to get him to let go. She grasped at the spear, pulling it with all her might, though it didn’t budge.

The woman pounced on top of Wanda, pinning her to the ground, her staff glowing as it inched closer to her face. Wanda’s hands sat under it, keeping it from touching her. The woman leaned down closer to her, her copper eyes burning into Wanda’s green ones.

“Give us the stone, and she lives.” The woman tilted her head towards the porch where the man stood, his spear pressed against Claire’s neck. Wanda could see her face turning a light blue as he applied more pressure. Claire’s eyes met hers and despite the spear, she shook her head, begging—_pleading_ that Wanda didn’t give in.

Blood oozed from Claire’s head and shoulder and the lack of oxygen was starting to get to her. Her eyes started to flutter as she fought to stay awake and fight against the man’s hold on her, but she her body started to sway beneath her, her legs going weak. Just then, a sudden blast of yellow light shot the man, knocking him and Claire off the porch. She landed hard on the grass, coughing violently and wheezing as she brought air back into her lungs. Vision came outside and sent another blast towards the woman, knocking her off of Wanda. She stood up and ran over to Claire, kneeling beside her, inspecting her wounds.

“Are you okay?” she asked out of breath. Claire coughed and tried to sit up, but Wanda’s hands stopped her and pushed her back down. “Stay down.” Claire ignored her command.

“I will be. Wanda, please leave.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Wanda said as she looked deep into her purple eyes. Claire grimaced as a wave of pain hit her. She needed Wanda to leave, to be safe. She didn’t care what happened to her, but Wanda needed to stay safe. Her eyes traveled up Wanda’s face as she studied every detail, but she flinched a bit and a twinge of anger sparked in her when she caught sight of the small cut above Wanda’s left eyebrow.

“They’ll kill you,” Claire gasped as Wanda applied pressure to her shoulder wound.

“And what do you think they’ll do to you?”

Claire didn’t answer and instead laid her head down on the grass, staring up at the sky. She heard shuffling from in front of her and Wanda looked, watching as the man and woman stood up and ready. Wanda let go of Claire and stood up, waving her hands and igniting her magic, staring at the two in determination and a small hint of fear. She was ready to do all she could to protect Claire; she would return the favor.

Before they could advance, a long shadow spread across the small field and over the cabin. All of them froze and looked up as a ship moved over the area, blocking out the sun. The woman aimed her staff at the ship and fired, but it came right back, striking the ground a couple inches next to her foot. Two figures jumped from the ship and landed on the ground in front of Claire and Wanda, standing in between them and the two invaders. Wanda smiled and Claire let out a relieved laugh as Captain America and Black Widow stood up before them.

The woman growled and threw her staff at Steve, but he leaned to the right, dodging it, and grabbed it before it flew past him. Him and Natasha charged at them and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. They passed the woman’s staff back and forth, using it deflect against the man’s spear. Steve took the staff and lodged it deep into the man’s side. He let out a loud groan of pain and fell to the ground. Natasha took the staff out and pointed it at the woman who ran over to the man’s side.

“Get up,” she said. The man groaned and tried to lean forward but fell back in pain.

“I can’t.” He clutched his wound and the woman placed a hand on top of his. Natasha stands before them, readying her weapons.

“We don’t wanna kill you. But we will,” she said as the woman summoned her weapon.

She glared at the Black Widow and said, “You’ll never get the chance again.” She tapped a small button on her armor, and a bright blue light flooded down on them, and the mysterious couple rose into the air and disappeared, with the man’s spear following them.

Vision walked over to Claire, and carefully helped her stand up, making sure to not touch or move her shoulder. Claire groaned and breathed heavily as the pain ate at her. Steve and Natasha turned towards the three of them sighing and looking relieved to see they weren’t hurt too bad. Wanda turned and crashed into Claire’s arms, embracing her tightly though being wary of her wounds.

“I’m okay,” Claire said as she wrapped an arm around Wanda as Vision held the other to keep her up. Steve and Natasha walked over to them and Natasha gave them both a smile. “Thank you.”

“Can you walk?” Steve asked, directing his question to Claire. She nodded and gave a breathless chuckle.

“Well enough.”

“What…the…_fuck_…just…happened?!” Jemma yelled as she ran out of the cabin. Wanda left Claire’s side and ran to Jemma, wrapping her arms around her. Jemma reciprocated and planted a tiny kiss on her cheek.

“We need to leave,” Natasha said looking up at the ship above them.

“New Quinjet?” Claire asked trying to make the situation lighter. Steve nodded. “Thought it looked bigger.” Steve chuckled as he took Claire’s other arm and draped it over his shoulders, straightening her out. The Quinjet landed a few feet in front of them and the hatch opened revealing Sam with a bright smile on his face. He helped his friends onto the jet, making sure that Claire was comfortable before he took out the first aid kit and tended to her wounds.

Wanda sat beside her, taking her hand into hers and placed a small kiss on her bloody knuckles. Sam pulled the collar of her shirt down until he saw the wound, a gaping hole in her shoulder. Wanda gasped and shuddered at the sight and gulped. Claire’s grip tightened on her hand, but her eyes remained straight. Sam took a piece of cloth and dipped it into a disinfectant.

Hovering his hand and the cloth over her wound he said, “This is gonna sting.”

Claire gritted her teeth and breathed heavily, anticipating the pain. Sam dapped the cloth against her wound and Claire screamed in pain. Wanda closed her eyes and grasped Claire’s hand tighter. Once Sam was done cleaning the wound and bandaging it, he moved onto the gash on her head. That one didn’t hurt as much and soon Claire relaxed as best as she could into her seat. Wanda leaned closer to her and kissed her cheek. When he was done he put the kit back where he found it and walked to the cockpit.

“Are you okay?”

“I will be. Just give it a couple hours and I’ll be as good as new,” Claire said giving Wanda a toothy smile. Wanda chuckled and nuzzled into Claire’s side.

“I’m glad you’re alright. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

“_I _don’t know what I’d do if something happened to _you_.” Claire looked above Wanda’s eyes, focusing her attention on Wanda’s cut and sighed. “I wish you listened to me. They could’ve killed you; _would’ve _killed you. You should’ve ran.”

“And leave you there with them? No way. Claire, you’re always trying to protect me and you do a damn fine job of it, but for once, I wanted to protect you. I wasn’t going to sit by and let them hurt you.”

“I love you,” Claire mumbled. Wanda smiled and kissed her, her hand touching her cheek. Natasha smiled at them briefly before turning and standing next to Steve. “Thank you again for coming.”

Steve turned his head towards her and nodded. “Of course.”

“How did you know what was happening?” Jemma raised her hand.

“I called them. Once that…thing came crashing into my room, I grabbed your tracker thing and called them. Who were they?” Jemma asked, directing the last bit to Steve.

“I’m not sure. Did they say anything to you?”

“They said they came for ‘the stone’. I don’t know what they were talking about, but they thought Wanda had it.” Vision shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Vision? What is it?” Wanda asked, looking at him with concern. The rest of the team followed her eyes.

“They were after the Mind Stone. For what I do not know, but they mustn’t get it.”

“Agreed,” Steve said nodding his head.

“Where to, Cap?” Sam asked from the pilot’s chair.

“Home.”

○○○

The Quinjet flew past the familiar New York cityscape, and Claire smiled, remembering the short time that her and Bucky lived there, and as they passed over Hell’s Kitchen, a brief glimmer of an old friend passed in her mind. She hadn’t thought about Blackout in so long, but she was filled with the sudden sense to call her and see how she was doing, maybe see if she could offer her a hand, despite the fact that she had her own problems to deal with at the moment. She hadn’t seen her in the news lately—not that she had been paying attention because the only thing to grace the local news stations were her and the rest of the fugitive Avengers—but she still hoped that she was alright. _She’s tough, I’m sure she can take care of herself._

It didn’t take long to fly back to the compound upstate, and Sam soon landed the jet outside on the lawn. They all stood up and left the jet, Claire hobbling off with the help of Wanda and Sam. Once she was off the jet, Sam took over, much to Wanda’s disagreement.

“Don’t worry, Little Red, I’m keeping my hands where you can see ‘em,” Sam said smirking at her. Claire grinned at Wanda, though she was still in pain, and winked at her.

“It’s okay, baby. I only got eyes for you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Wanda started to walk away.

“I’m serious, Wanda. He doesn’t do it for me the way you do.” Claire’s grin turned into a sly smirk as Sam laughed and Wanda’s face turned red.

The small group of fugitive heroes and Jemma walked into the compound. Wanda wrapped her arms around herself as they walked through the familiar halls. She paused a bit as they passed one of the living areas, and Wanda was greeted to a memory of the whole team sitting together laughing and talking like family.

She could hear the obnoxious sound of Clint’s laugh, or the overconfident undertone in Tony’s voice as he tried to outsmart Steve. She could see Natasha’s eyes roll they got into a little argument over something stupid and she could see Sam and Rhodey sitting off to the side taking bets to see which one of them would win. She saw herself, sitting off to the side, pressing her back into the cushioned seats of the couch, hoping to just disappear; her jacket sleeves pulled all the way past her wrists as she looked away from the happy group, stale tears in her red eyes, her face red and puffy from the frequent crying, her cheekbones more defined from the weight loss due to the fact that she didn’t eat as much as she should have. It was a depressing sight, and one that Wanda never wanted to remember.

She exhaled a shaky breath as she tried to forget her early days here in the compound. After Ultron’s attack, she wasn’t in the best shape, and if she was totally honest, she still wasn’t but she was trying. And she had Claire to help her, and she was glad, because while she had Jemma and was thankful for Jemma and everything she had done for her, Claire understood her in a way that Jemma never could and never would.

“Wanda?” Claire’s voice said, cutting through her thoughts, tearing her away from the depressing mental image of Wanda’s depressed self. “Are you coming?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled as she looked back at the couches one last time before following after Claire and Sam.

“You okay, Little Red?” Claire asked when Wanda caught up with them and walked beside them. She eyed her with a confused look and a small smile.

“‘Little Red’? Is that my name now?” she asked with a laugh. Claire shrugged her shoulders, laughing though it soon turned into a hiss as she aggravated her bad shoulder.

“I like it. I think it suits you.” Wanda smiled and Sam cleared his throat.

“Not to ruin the moment, but I came up with ‘Little Red’. Don’t think you can just come up in here and steal my nickname.” Claire scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Don’t even start, Sap. You stole ‘Bicky’ from me, so consider this payback.” Claire playfully stuck her tongue out at Sam causing Wanda to giggle.

“Don’t laugh Wanda. And Stowell, you better stop before I drop you down a flight of steps. You’ll have more than a hurt shoulder to worry about,” Sam warned, winking at the both of them.

They followed Steve, Vision, Jemma and Natasha into a conference room where Rhodey stood pacing in his bionic leg braces talking to a hologram of Secretary Ross. Wanda looked down, shifted her weight to her other foot and played with her rings while one of her hands flew up to the scar on her neck. Claire caught the movement and moved to stand straight off of Sam, standing in front of Wanda to block her view of him and let out a low protective growl.

“Mr. Secretary,” Steve said, announcing their presence. Wanda placed a hand on Claire’s upper arm and stepped out from behind her just a tiny bit. Ross looked over at them and frowned. Claire’s skin started to heat up and her eyes glowed brighter. Wanda gripped her tight and Claire relaxed under her touch, though she continued to stare hard at Ross.

“You got some nerve. I’ll give you that,” Ross said glaring at them. His eyes landed on Claire and Wanda and his glare hardened. “I see you two have gotten closer since the last time I saw you. It’s sad that they’ll let anyone be together, especially a powder keg and a lighted match.”

Claire growled loudly and walked towards his hologram, ignoring Wanda’s cries. Steve stepped in front of her and held her back, though it would do nothing since Ross was, for now, only a hologram. Her eyes were now a light lavender and her fangs had elongated and poked out from her lips.

“Let it go,” Steve whispered in his ear. Wanda came up behind her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her away. When he was sure that Wanda had her, he let his arms slip from her and turned back towards Ross. The hologram scoffed and rolled his eyes; he wasn’t surprised that this happened.

“You could use some of that right now,” Natasha said, a smug look on her face.

“The world’s on fire. And you think, all is forgiven?” Ross asked, giving them a questioning look. Claire scoffed and rolled her eyes, turning away from him. Wanda rubbed her back in a comforting manner, careful to avoid the area around her shoulder, though she was pretty much healed by now.

“I’m not looking for forgiveness. And I’m way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we’re here to fight,” Steve said with a straight face as he stepped towards Ross’s hologram. “And if you wanna stand in our way…we’ll fight you, too.” Claire’s wolf yelped happily at Steve’s words and she cracked a smile that only Wanda could see. Ross’s frown grew and he turned back to Rhodey, clearly done with speaking with the Captain.

“Arrest them.”

“All over it,” Rhodey said as he waved his hand in the air, disconnecting the hologram. He turned towards the group of fugitives and a computer off to the side beeped twice. “That’s a court-martial. It’s great to see you, Cap.” Steve smiled as he stepped towards Rhodey and hugged him.

“You too, Rhodey.” Natasha stepped over to him and embraced him too with a smile on her face. He hugged her back, smiling also. When they pulled away, Rhodey shot Wanda a small smile, who returned it.

“Well. You guys really look like crap,” Rhodey said in a joking manner as he gestured to Steve’s long and disheveled hair and grown out beard. “Must’ve been a rough couple of years.”

“Yeah, well, the hotels weren’t exactly five star.” Claire snorted at Sam’s comment and bit her lip when he looked at her, smirking. Wanda pulled Claire’s arm opened and stepped into the open space, letting the arm that she moved fall around her, circling her waist. Claire turned her head and lightly pressed her lips to the tip of Wanda’s forehead right before her hairline.

“So…I see you two are…together,” Rhodey said gesturing to Claire and Wanda. They both looked at him with questioning looks. “I gotta say, I didn’t see that coming.” Wanda smiled a little and rested her head against Claire’s chest.

“Uh, I think you look great,” a voice says from behind Rhodey. They all look over at Bruce who looks fairly awkward. Wanda stiffens a little bit. “Uh…heh…Yeah. I’m back.” All eyes—except for Claire’s and Wanda’s—pointed at Natasha as she stared at Bruce Banner. Tension filled the air.

“Hi, Bruce,” she said.

“Nat,” he said after minute. Sam lowered his eyes away from the two.

“This is awkward,” he mumbled. Claire looked over at him, her brows furrowed.

“Why?” she whispered.

“Him and Tasha briefly had a thing; until he disappeared after Sokovia. They haven’t seen each other since. Don’t think he even made contact until now.”

Rhodey led the fugitives throughout the compound, bringing them into an empty conference room, though this one was less formal than the previous room. Entering the room, Wanda sat Claire down in one of the available chairs against Claire’s protests. Wanda stood beside Claire’s chair, her hands in the pockets of her jeans. The others scattered around the room, enlightening Rhodey on their situation.

“So we gotta assume they’re coming back, right?” he asked looking between Claire and Steve.

“And they can clearly find us,” Wanda added. Claire looked up at her and pulled her into her lap. Bruce stepped up looking fidgety

“We need all hands on deck. Where’s Clint?”

“After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families, they’re on house arrest,” Natasha said turning from one of the windows. Bruce knitted his brows together.

“Who’s Scott?”

“Ant-Man,” Steve said. Wanda rolled her eyes but smiled at the squirrely man that she and Clint picked up the night they went to meet Steve. She was still a little mad at him for trying to talk to her the_ whole _way there and not letting her get any sleep.

“There’s an Ant-Man _and _a Spider-Man?” Bruce asked.

“Yeah, everybody’s got a gimmick now,” Claire muttered and Wanda lightly hit her arm, causing the redhead to laugh.

“Okay, look…Thanos has the biggest army in the universe. And he is not gonna stop until he…he gets…Vision's Stone.”

“Well then, we have to protect it,” Natasha said folding her arms across her chest, as if it was that simple. Vision cleared his throat and turned from the window he was looking out and took a step closer to everyone.

“No, we have to destroy it.” Wanda stood up from Claire’s lap and walked closer to Vision. “I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something, very similar to its own signature, perhaps… its molecular integrity could fail.” He addressed Wanda as he finished and looked deep into her eyes. Wanda stood frozen in her place, her mind reeling with what Vision was asking her to do.

“And you, with it. We’re not having this conversation.”

“Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can’t get it,” Vision pleaded with Wanda. Claire watched as her face remained unchanged, except for her bottom lip which started to tremble.

“That’s too high a price,” she said in a whisper. Vision took her face in his red hands, forcing her eyes to look at him. “I can’t lose you too, Vision. I’ve lost too much.”

“Only you have the power to pay it.” Wanda walked away from him; distress clearly written on her face. Claire frowned and stood up from her chair, walking up to her and bringing her into her arms. Steve’s face was sad as he thought about what this would mean. Jemma and Natasha put their heads down, not liking the idea of causing Wanda anymore pain. Vision continued, addressing the rest of the room. “Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him.” Steve cast his eyes downward.

“But it should.” He lifted his eyes to meet Vision’s. “We don’t trade lives, Vision.”

“Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people. Tell me, why is this different?” Vision asked as he stepped towards Steve. Bruce spoke quickly, wagging his finger as if he had an idea.

“Because you might have a choice. Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. J.A.R.V.I.S., Ultron, Tony, me, the Stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another.” 

“You’re saying Vision isn’t just the stone?” Wanda asked from Claire’s embrace. Bruce looked at her and then at the rest of the group.

“I’m saying that if we take out the stone, there’s still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts.” Wanda looked down, considering this. Claire leaned her head down and whispered soothing things into her ear, still sensing that she was in distress.

“Can we do that?” Natasha asked.

“Not me. Not here.”

“You better find someone, and somewhere fast. Ross isn’t exactly gonna let you guys have your old rooms back,” Rhodey said folding his arms over his chest. Claire lifted her head up as the metaphorical lightbulb appeared over her head. She smiled and looked at Steve who raised a brow at her curiously.

“We know somewhere. And someone,” she said. Bruce looked between them and shrugged, waiting for her to continue.

“Who?”

“A scientific genius.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackout is an original character from the story "Blackout" by greyhavensking.


	39. Back to Wakanda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers arrive in Wakanda and prepare for Thanos.

Sam flew the Quinjet in the familiar direction of Wakanda, making good time, and arriving only a few hours later. He landed the Quinjet on the same landing pad as he did the last time they were here and opened the hatch. Claire grasped Wanda’s hand in hers and sent her a loving smile.

“See? I told you we’d come back here,” she muttered causing Wanda to chuckle.

“Yes, you were right, but I thought it would be under better circumstances.” Claire quickly kissed her cheek as they walked down the hatch and into the warm Wakandan sun. Like last time, T’Challa and his guards were already there, ready to greet them.

“There’s still time, baby.”

“Should we bow?” Bruce asked Rhodey as they walked down the hatch behind Claire and Wanda.

“Yeah, he’s a king,” Rhodey said seriously.

Steve walked towards the king and shook his hand with a smile on his face.

“Seems like I’m always thanking you for something,” Steve said. Bruce followed behind him and awkwardly bows to him.

“What are you doing?” Rhodey asked as he smacked his arm and pulled Bruce back up as Wanda and Claire tried to keep from laughing. T’Challa held up his hands and shook his head in modesty.

“Uh, we don’t do that here,” he says as Bruce shoots Rhodey a look. T’Challa took a minute and looked over at Wanda and Claire. “And how are Ms. Maximoff?”

“I’m doing much better, your highness,” Wanda said, giving him a little bow and a smile. Claire pulled her closer and intertwined her fingers with Wanda’s. T’Challa nodded and looked back at Steve.

“So how big of an assault can we expect?”

“Uh, sir, I think you can expect quite a big assault,” Bruce said poking his head out from behind Steve, once again fidgety. Sam and Vision left and followed some of the guards towards another building. Wanda kissed Claire lightly on the cheek before following them. Claire turned her attention back towards Steve and T’Challa.

Natasha bumped her arm and mouthed, _“Are you okay?”_

Claire nodded and mouthed back, _“Just worried.”_

_“It’ll be okay,” _Natasha mouthed as she rubbed the younger woman’s arm. “How we looking?”

“You will have my Kingsguard, the Boarder Tribe, the Dora Milage, and…”

“A semi-stable, 100-year-old man,” Bucky said as he walked towards the group with a small smile on his bearded face. Steve smiled as they embraced and patted his back.

“How you been, Buck?” Steve asked, happy to see him.

“Uh, not bad, for the end of the world.” Steve let him go, and Bucky walked over to Claire and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. She let out a little groan as his new vibranium arm crushed her.

“Yeah, it’s good to see you too, Bicky,” she said, her voice straining. “Buck, for the love of God, please let me go.” Bucky chuckled and released her. Claire coughed as she playfully glared at him.

“Hey, Claire Bear.”

“Hey yourself. That a new arm?”

“Yep. You like it?” Bucky asked as he started to flex it. Claire watched as the golden strips rippled as he moved the metal. She giggled at his face, which was contorted in a way that suggested that he was trying to seduce her, and Claire couldn’t tell if it was an act or his intention (he was guilty of trying to seduce her in the past).

“It’s very nice, Bicky, but the flexing,” Claire brought her hand up and gestured to his arm. “Has got to stop. You know I’m gay and in a serious relationship with Wanda.” Bucky brought his hand up to clutch his chest as a fake gasp escaped his lips.

“Claire Stowell! How dare you make me out to be some common floozy!” Bucky shouted in mock offense. Claire laughed and playfully slapped his non-metal arm.

“I’m just making sure, Bicky.” Bucky rolled his eyes and sighed.

“How long are you gonna call me that?” Claire shrugged and giggled.

“I don’t know. Till it gets old, but you want to hear a secret?”

“What?”

Claire leaned in towards his ear and cupped her hand around her mouth and his ear and said in a whisper, “It will _never _get old.”

When she pulled away, Bucky sent her glare until a smile broke out on his face. Then, realization hit him, and he looked around them as if he was looking for something, or someone.

“Hey, where’s Wanda? Is she here?”

“Yeah, she went inside with Sam.” Claire gestured to the direction that they went in and Bucky nodded in understanding.

“How’s she doing? Last time she was here…”

“She’s good. She’s doing much better.” Claire looked down. She didn’t like to think about that day. Finding Wanda unconscious laying in the grass with her hand tightly grasping her neck had scared her more than…anything really. Bucky’s smile fell and guilt washed over his features.

“I’m sorry about what happened. I didn’t mean to trigger anything. I just—”

“It wasn’t your fault, Bucky. These things…sometimes they just happen. For what it’s worth, she doesn’t blame you,” Claire said as she reached a hand up and rested it on his arm. A smile soon returned on his face and he pulled her into another hug.

“I’m glad that you’re happy.” Natasha cleared her throat and the two pulled away and looked back over at her, Steve, T’Challa, and Bruce.

“Come on, you two. We got work to do.”

○○○

T’Challa led them into his palace and into Shuri’s lab. Vision laid on a table as Shuri stood over him, a holographic in-depth image of the interior of the Mind Stone elevated above him and in front of her.

“Woah. The structure is polymorphic,” Shuri mutters out loud as she studies the structure of the stone. Bruce stepped up to her and cleared his throat.

“Right, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially.”

“Why didn’t you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?” Shuri asked as she furrowed her brows. Vision looked over at him from the table, as if he was asking the same thing. Claire bit her lip to stop from laughing and Wanda lightly smacked her arm.

“What?” Claire whispered and Wanda rolled her eyes and smiled.

“Because, we didn’t think of it,” Bruce said with uncertainty. Shuri smiled and looked over at Claire and Wanda.

“I’m sure you did your best,” Shuri said in a reassuring voice with a smile before looking over at Claire and sending her a look. Claire giggled quietly to herself. Shuri went back to studying the hologram of the stone, trying to figure out a way to fix this situation. The gears in her head turned as she mentally solved the problem. The air soon became serious, and Wanda’s face dropped in worry.

“Can you do it?” she asked, stepping closer to the table. Shuri looked over at her, a serious look on her face.

“Yes, but there are more than two-trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures.” She turned her head to T’Challa. “It will take time, brother.”

“How long?” Steve asked, causing her to look at him.

“As long as you can give me,” she said. A chime filled the room, and Okoye removed one of her kimoyo beads from around her wrist, and a projection of the globe appeared with a pulsing location marker.

“Something’s entered the atmosphere,” Okoye said. Everyone stiffened and Claire stepped closer to Wanda, her eyes glowing.

_“Hey, Cap, we got a situation,”_ Rhodey said over the comms. The team watched as a giant alien vessel fell from the sky, crashing into the blue forcefield that protected the city. More vessels fell a little ways away from the barrier, shaking the earth. Vision sat up on the table.

“It’s too late. We need to destroy the stone now,” he said. Natasha turned and ran from the window.

“Vision, get your ass back on the table.”

“We will hold them off,” T’Challa said as him, Okoye, and some guards moved to leave and suit up. Steve ran after them, with Natasha following him, but stopped and turned to Wanda.

“Wanda, as soon as the stone’s out of his head…you blow it to hell.”

“I will,” she said as she turned towards the look out the windows. They had a great view of the where the alien vessels were landing and fear rose in her as more started to land. T’Challa started barking orders as he moved to leave the room.

“Evacuate the city. Engage all defense procedures.” He paused and turned towards Steve and pointed at him. “And get this man a shield.”

○○○

The team left the lab until it was only Claire, Wanda, Vison, Shuri and a handful of guards. Claire watched out the window as the troops started to mobilize, heading out of the city and into the outskirts to face off the alien army. She giggled a little when she saw a giant hulk-like Iron Man suit trip and fall, skidding into the dirt.

Wanda paced along the length of the examination table, playing with her rings. Claire’s attention fell on her, and the redhead moved away from the windows and walked over towards Wanda. She placed her hands on her shoulders, stopping her from pacing. She knew Wanda was worried, and while she never really mentioned him, she knew how much Vision meant to her, and she really didn’t want Wanda to lose another person that she cared about. Claire pulled Wanda to the far side of the room, and brought her face into her hands, framing it. Looking into her green eyes, Claire placed a little kiss on her nose.

“Are you okay?” Claire asked. “I mean, I know you’re no _okay_, but are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Wanda lied. Claire grimaced, knowing that she was lying. Wanda sighed and looked back over at Vision. “It’s just…he saved our lives. Without his warning, we would’ve been killed. I know what I have to do if this fails, but I’m not sure if I can do it.”

Claire embraced her, a gentle hand rubbing up and down her back.

“I know it’ll be hard. I know you’ve lost so many people in your life, and I know it feels like you’ll lose every ounce of sanity you have left if you lose one more person. But Wanda, you haven’t lost everyone and you never will. I’m still here, baby, and I’m not going anywhere. I plan on staying here and annoying you for a _long _time.” Wanda giggled and Claire pressed a kiss against her light red hair. “Everything’s gonna be okay, love. I promise.”

Time passed by slowly in the lab. Claire and Wanda alternated between watching the battle going on outside and watching as Shuri worked on Vision. T’Challa’s voice cuts through the room through the comms, along with the sound of battle.

_“How much longer, Shuri?” _he asked.

“We’ve barely begun, brother,” she replied, seriousness and worry filling her voice.

_“You might want to pick up the pace,” _T’Challa responded. Shuri sighed and slightly picked up her pace, carefully taking apart the synthetic mental connections of the Mind Stone. A delicate and intricate construction of gold light hovered at her eye level; as she manipulated it, the waldo tools reproduce her commands on the Mind Stone itself.

Wanda started to fidget again, playing with her rings as she stared out at the battlefield. The hordes of aliens flooded into Wakanda through the open barrier and they fiercely leaped and attacked their army. Worry consumed her as she itched to get onto the field and help. She knew she was a greater asset on the field than in this room and that they didn’t stand a chance against her, but she couldn’t leave Vision.

The itch to help grew stronger as the remaining Avengers and Wakandans soon became overwhelmed by the Outriders. Wanda watched as they leaped into dog piles on the Hulkbuster suit as it wasn’t fast enough to shake them off. Both Steve and T’Challa were knocked off their feet by the speed of these creatures and soon became trapped as they leaped onto them, snapping their jaws. Claire growled as she came over to look out the window.

“It’s getting bad,” she said. Wanda looked over at her and pulled her face to her, kissing her on the lips. Suddenly, a bright blast of rainbow light came crashing doing in the middle of the field. When the light disappears, three figures stand in the center of a burned circle in the grass. One of them, which Claire guessed as Thor ran out of the circle and leaped into the air, bolts of lightning surrounding him as he crashed to the ground, electrocuting all the aliens in his path.

Claire let out a small groan, causing Wanda to look at her.

“Oh yeah. I’d _totally_ hook up with him if I wasn’t gay.” Wanda scoffed and rolled her eyes. Claire’s face turned a bright red as she looked over at her girlfriend, eyes wide. “But, I am and I’m in a happy relationship with the best girl in the world, who by the way, puts Thor to shame.” Claire reached out and tried to hug Wanda, but she only scoffed and walked away. “Come, on Wanda. You know I would never do anything.”


	40. We Got a Vision Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle of Wakanda continues. Wanda and Claire defeat Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive.

Shuri continued to work hard, pulling apart and reconnecting synapses, her eyes looking at nothing but the hologram in front of her. A deep rumbling sound reverberated through the country and could be heard from Shuri’s lab. Wanda looked down on the battlefield and saw movement through the blazing forest between the troopships and the dome. Claire joined her at the window, brows knitted together in confusion and her eyes glowing. Her wolf stirred in her mind, screaming at her that something wasn’t right and that something big was coming. When the disturbance reached the edge of the trees, it turned into vast moving mounds of earth that easily bypassed the force field and emerged. Groups of Threshers cut through the earth, shredding everything in its path.

The Wakandan army and Avengers retreated at the entrance of these machines, and Wanda tensed. She needed to do something. There was no way any of them could fight against those things. Claire, who was still staring, turned towards Wanda, and pressed her lips against hers in a short, but passionate kiss. When she pulled away, she had a sad look in her eyes and her heart was heavy. She gulped and attempted to give her a small smile before she spoke.

“I gotta go,” she whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder she’d burst into tears. She was afraid; not just for the fate of the world, or her friends, or even Wanda, but for _her_. She had accepted the idea that if she went out there, she could very well die, but now that she was actively about to go out there, she was afraid. She didn’t want to die; she was so young and there were things that she still never got to experience. But, she would do her duty, and she would do it well, even if it meant she didn’t make it to see the end. She was a protector, and she had go out there and protect the world. “They need me.”

She turned away from Wanda before she could respond and walked towards the door to the lab, but Wanda grasped her hand tightly, not letting her go.

“I don’t think so,” she said, tears sitting on the brims of her eyes. Wanda tightened her grip on Claire’s hand as Pietro appeared in her mind. She blinked and she was back in Sokovia, standing in front of the core, pieces of dismantled robots laid on the ground in the church and at her feet.

_“I’m not going to leave you here,” _he said

_“I can handle this.”_

_“You know I’m twelve minutes older than you.” _

_“Go.” _

That was the last time she saw him. She remembered the feeling of each individual bullet piercing through his skin, killing him. It was her fault; she let him go, and he died. She blinked and shook her head. She was _not _letting that happen again; not to Claire. Vision was one thing, but if she lost Claire, she couldn’t go on. She’d refuse.

“Wanda, let go. You know I have to out there.”

“I’m not letting you go anywhere. Long ago, I let my brother leave myside in a battle, and I lost him. I refuse to lose you too.” A tear fell from Wanda’s eye and Claire’s heart broke.

“Wanda, they need help.”

“I know. But you’re not going.” She let go of her hand and kissed her cheek. “Watch Vision.”

“Wanda, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Claire asked, but Wanda ran out of the room before she could stop her. Claire ran to the windows and watched as a scarlet flash flew into the air and landed in the middle of the path of a group of the Threshers. Claire’s heart plummeted into her stomach as she watched, fearing the worst. Wanda used her magic and lifted the Threshers off the ground, and swung her hands down, throwing them behind her.

She breathed heavily as she turned towards Natasha and Okoye, giving them a subtle smile. Natasha smiled proudly at her while Okoye looked at her confused. They both stood up and Okoye gestured to Wanda with her spear while looking at Natasha.

“Why was she up there all this time?”

Claire breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Wanda unharmed, but it was short-lived when her hearing picked up on unfamiliar movement. Before she could shift into her wolf, the man that attacked their cabin—Corvus Glaive—burst through the door to the lab, beating through the guards. Claire ran at him, snarling. Her fangs and claws came out and her eyes were a bright lavender. He brought his spear up, using it to deflect and dodge her attacks. Shuri’s attention and concentration were broken by the fighting and she became frazzled as she tried to work faster, hoping that Claire could handle him on her own. More aliens filtered into the room, tackling Claire, letting the man advance towards Shuri and Vision.

Shuri quickly shut down the program as he advanced. Claire groaned as she tried to free herself from the aliens, but they pulled her back down, their jaws snapping at her, almost catching her flailing limbs. Shuri picked up a blaster that sat on a table close by and fired at the man, but he easily deflected the blasts with his spear, and brought it up, striking her. She laid still on the floor, and when he turned around to collect Vision, he wasn’t there. Vision appeared behind him and shoved them both out of the widow of the lab.

Finally finding leverage, Claire shifted into her wolf and ripped the aliens off her with a snarl. Once she was freed, she turned and snapped at them, catching them with her sharp teeth and ripping them apart with her claws. Soon their dismembered body parts sat in bloodied piles at her feet. Claire huffed and growled before trotting over to Shuri, nudging her with her snout. She let out a groan but didn’t wake up. Claire softly licked her cheek before sprinting out of the lap, jumping through the broken window, following Vision’s trail. Thanos couldn’t get that stone.

○○○

_“Guys, we got a Vision situation here,” _Sam said through the comms as he watched Vision fall from the window of the lab.

_“Somebody get to Vision!” _Steve yelled in a panic.

_“I got him!” _Bruce said and flew after Vision in the Hulkbuster suit. Wanda stood and placed a finger to her ear and spoke into the comms.

“On my way.” A sudden wave of pain engulfed her as she fell into a ravine created by a Thresher. The woman from the cabin—Proxima Midnight—jumped down after her and stood over her as Wanda crawled to a stand, a blinding pain erupting in her head. Proxima Midnight rolled Wanda over with her staff and positioned above her. Wanda looked at her as she tried to focus.

“They’ll die alone. As will you,” Proxima Midnight growled as she started to bring her staff down.

“She’s _not _alone,” Natasha said from behind them. Wanda peered over at her as she and Okoye readied their weapons.

Proxima Midnight let out a battle cry as she advanced on the two women, using her staff to block their weapons. Proxima Midnight doesn’t let up on her attacks, and she dished out heavier attacks on Natasha and Okoye while Wanda laid in the dirt, nursing her head wound. All three of them ducked when a Thresher rode overtop of them. While Natasha is distracted, Proxima Midnight advanced and kicked her in the face, sending her to back to the ground. She then turned towards Okoye and grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her and her weapon a couple feet away.

Natasha took her joined batons and broke them apart and blocked Proxima Midnight’s staff and knocked it from her hand. She growled as she used her fist and knocked Natasha back down and leaped on top of her, pinning her down. She produced an arm blade and brought it down, attempting to stab the Black Widow. Natasha used all her strength to push back against the blade, but ever so slowly, Proxima Midnight pushed the blade closer and closer to her neck.

Before the blade could pierce her skin, a familiar scarlet mist swirled around Proxima Midnight and hoisted her into the air into an oncoming Thresher, shredding her. Blue blood splattered on the two women, mostly on Natasha though. She looked up and saw Wanda sitting up in the dirty in front of her, panting hard, her hands still trembling with just the smallest hint of scarlet mist still twirling around her hands.

“That was really gross,” Natasha muttered causing Wanda to scoff.

○○○

Claire followed Vision’s scent into forest area of Wakanda, far away from the battlefield. She kept her nose in the air, searching for him. To her left, she heard the sound fighting and growling and she took off, hoping that she wasn’t too late.

A little ways in front of her, Corvus Glaive grasped Vision’s shoulders and used the leverage to plunge his blade into Vision’s chest. Vision let out a scream of pain and Claire growled. Corvus Glaive pressed him into the ground and sneered over him.

“I thought you were formidable, machine. But you’re dying, like any man.” He yanked the blade out and Vision collapsed to the ground in pain. Corvus Glaive smiled and loomed over him once more, reaching down to take the stone, but was tackled by a running Captain America. As he was busy with Corvus Glaive, Claire approached Vision and nudged him with her nose. She quickly shifted beside him and tried to help him stand.

“Get outta here!” Steve yelled at them when he saw that Claire was here now. “Go!” Steve fought off Corvus Glaive, using the shields on his arms to parry against his attacks with his spear, but he was struggling. Corvus Glaive knocked him down and pinned him to a fallen log, his hand against the Captain’s throat. Claire looked at Vision anxiously. She knew she had to get Vision out of there and away from the fighting, but she couldn’t leave Steve. Vision, as if sensing her dilemma, nodded his head at her, encouraging her to go. Claire let out a growl and shifted back into her wolf before charging at Corvus Glaive.

Claire ran up behind him and used her claws to swat him away from Steve. While he tried to recover from the attack, Claire used the advantage, and pounced on him, tackling him to the ground before she dug her sharp claws into his chest, piercing his armor. He yelled in pain, and writhed under her, trying to free himself. Not giving him the chance, Claire snarled and snapped her bloodied jaws at his neck, cutting through his flesh and severing his jugular vein. Blood filled her mouth as Corvus Glaive sputtered, desperately clinging to life. Within seconds, he laid still in the grass and Claire released him and climbed off, shifting back.

Wiping her mouth, she groaned as the metallic taste of his blood lingered on her taste buds and said, “That was really gross.” Steve looked at her and over at Vision.

“I thought I told you both to run?” he asked breathlessly.

“We don’t trade lives, Captain,” Claire said as she walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.

After a few moments, Wanda landed in the forest a few feet from where Claire is standing. She ran over to her and aggressively pressed her lips against hers and tangled her fingers in her hair. Claire’s arms came around her and pulled her close, deepening the kiss. When they pulled away they were breathless, and Claire rested her head against Wanda’s.

“I was so worried,” Claire mumbled. “I saw those things and I…don’t ever scare me like that again.” Wanda smiled as Claire kissed her again. Behind them, Vision flinched and groaned again in pain. Wanda broke away and ran over to him, checking him for any wounds.

“Are you okay?” she asked as he groaned again. “What? What is it?”

Vision looked around, fearfully as the wind started to pick up. Claire’s wolf growled in her mind, and she shifted back into her wolf, sensing that the fight wasn’t over.

“He’s here,” Vision said.


	41. Thanos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanos arrives in Wakanda seeking the Mind Stone.

The entire air in Wakanda changed. It was strange and…eerie. The wind picked up and blew through the trees, ruffling the branches almost aggressively. Wanda knelt by Vision, confusion and fear evident on her face at his words. Claire stood by looking in all directions, trying to pin down her enemy. Thanks to her enhanced senses that she got from her wolf, she could sense that they were near, but she couldn’t pinpoint where they were. It was like they were playing with the blind spots of her senses. She let out a low growl as the eerie air unnerved her and she stepped closer to Wanda, ready to protect her at a moment’s notice. Steve reached up and touched his comm as he extended his shields.

“Everyone, on my position. We have incoming.” The rest of the Avengers and Okoye and T’Challa soon moved in, standing ready.

“What the hell?” Natasha asked as blue and black clouds appear out of nowhere a few yards from where they’re standing. The clouds started to multiply and grow until they opened, revealing a portal, and a hulking purple figure stepped through, a slight victorious smile on his face.

“Cap. That’s him,” Bruce said from behind him. Thanos looked at the small group of heroes that banded together to stop him, his smile not going away. He was dressed in minimal armor with a gold gauntlet on his left hand. In the gauntlet sat five multicolored stones, a sixth empty hole glared at them; he just needed one more stone.

“Eyes up. Stay sharp,” Steve said to his team as they charged at him. Bruce was the first to reach him, but Thanos raised his left fist, igniting the power of the Space Stone to send him phasing into a rock wall, freezing him in place. Steve was blasted away by a mass of purple energy. T’Challa, dressed in his Black Panther suit charged with kinetic energy, leaped into the air, claws extended, but was easily grabbed by the throat by Thanos and slammed into the ground by a punch, violently releasing the energy he had stored. Sam swooped in, firing at Thanos, but soon fell to the ground as Thanos rendered his wings to rubber.

Vision grabbed Wanda’s hand, pulling her attention to him. His eyes held sorrow and fear and Claire’s heart broke for him and for Wanda.

“Wanda, it’s time,” he said.

“No.”

“They can’t stop him, Wanda, but we can. You have the power to destroy the stone.”

“Don’t.”

“You must do it, Wanda, please. If he gets this stone, half the universe dies.” Wanda looked at Vision with sadness in her eyes and she turned back around towards the advancing Thanos. Wanda, not seeing any other way, finally gave in. She held out her hand and took a deep breath, conjuring her magic, and let the growing scarlet beam flow from her hand and into the Mind Stone. Vision gasped a little at the aggressive nature of her magic but tried to relax for Wanda’s sake. He didn’t want her to think she was hurting him.

Rhodey had now joined the fight and began firing at Thanos, though he created a shield around him, and used the Space Stone to crush Rhodey’s armor and send him hurtling to the ground. Bucky came running from the tree-line, firing his machine gun and giving a battle cry. Thanos used the Power Stone to punch him away. Okoye threw her spear at him, but Thanos stopped it inches from his face with the Power Stone and knocked her down and wrapped Natasha in inescapable bounds of earth. Groot yelled and shoved his hands into the ground, forcing roots to grow and circle around Thanos, but he easily broke through.

Claire watched as Thanos decimated their team, the strongest the planet earth had to offer, and she let out a little whine. She turned towards Wanda, nuzzled her nose into her neck and gave her one last kiss before she turned to face off Thanos. She stood tall, letting the rage that Thanos made her feel envelope her until she saw red. She charged at the Mad Titan, her paws beating hard against the ground furiously. She roared at him as her anger built, fueling her strength.

She leaped in the air above Thanos’ head, swiping her claws at him as she descended. He dodged her and used the Power Stone to hold her in the air, and as he raised his gauntlet fist, he slammed her into the ground hard. He chuckled at her as he turned back around, facing Wanda and Vision, but Claire stood back up and bit his left leg. The Titan yelled and knelt down in pain as he swung around, trying to hit her, but she quickly sidestepped, and snapped her jaw around his arm.

Claire let go of his arm, and jumped at him, knocking his to the ground. She swung her claws at him, trying to either claw his malicious face off or tear the gauntlet off his hand; they both worked for her so much that she didn’t have a preference. Claire’s flailing managed to scratch Thanos a couple of times, giving him a few deep cuts that would surly become an issue later if left untreated, and though neither noticed, it also resulted in the Time Stone dislodging from the gauntlet and falling into the grass.

Finally, Thanos had enough of her, and clenched his fist, the Power Stone illuminating a light purple, and he brought his fist back far, before bringing it forward with such speed that the force of the punch knocked Claire clear off him and into a large rock. Claire let out a loud yelp as she crumpled to the ground, unconscious. At that moment, the Mind Stone was obliterated, and the force knocked Wanda back. She breathed heavily as she turned around at the spot where Vision’s body was last sitting. She sighed as she turned around and closed her eyes and lowered her head. She heard the heavy footsteps of Thanos as he walked closer to her.

“I understand, my child. Better than anyone,” Thanos’ deep voice said as he tried to comfort her. Wanda picked her head up, looked at him, and before she could respond, Claire’s unmoving black fur-clad body caught her eyes. Wanda stared at her and her heart shattered as Claire didn’t move; not one bit. Angry tears fell formed in her eyes and she stood up from the ground and stood tall, facing Thanos.

“You couldn’t possibly understand. But you will,” Wanda said, the scarlet mist wrapping around her hands again. Her eyes burned a bright scarlet as she raised her hand, sending the red energy around Thanos’ gauntlet. He stared at her in confusion, but it quickly contorted into anger when Wanda flicked her wrist and the gauntlet flew off Thanos’s beefy hand, flying past her. He growled at her in anger and charged at her, but she was ready for him. She walked forward, her hands still glowing and she shot fast and powerful balls of energy at him, making him stumble. She flailed her arms around as she gather more power and momentum, and brought the energy crashing into Thanos, knocking him to the ground with a loud and rumbling _thud_.

The rest of the Avengers watched her as she bared her teeth and sent her scarlet magic to wrap around Thanos’ massive body. Lifting her arms, she raised him from the ground and guided her magic into his body through the open wounds that Claire left him. She wiggled her fingers and Thanos let out a loud pain filled scream as her magic tore him apart, from the inside. With each scream that he let out, Wanda grew angrier and increased the pressure she had on her magic.

Thanos’s muscles ripped inside him as the magic grabbed hold of them and pulled one way, while the magic on the outside pulled him another way. Wanda was seething as he cried for what sounded to her like mercy. He didn’t deserve mercy. Wanda blinked a few times, before she let got and retracted her magic. Thanos fell to the ground, groaning in pain, blood seeping from his wounds. He tried to get up but collapsed from the pain. Wanda stalked over to him and knelt down beside his face and chest. He shook and breathed heavily in pain and glared at her, hoping to mask his fear.

“Well…” he said, his voice coming out weak. “What are you waiting for? Finish it.” She didn’t say anything, just stared at him, her eyes still glowing red. Thanos grabbed her by her jacket and pulled her down more. “Finish it!”

“Oh, I will,” she said, her voice and eerie calm. “I’m just…taking a minute.”

“For what?”

“For me to witness what true terror looks like. For you to witness what defeat looks like; what true power looks like. Even with all the stones, you wouldn’t be any different than you are now.”

“I would’ve been a god. Free to create life and take it at my whim. Make reality what I want it to be. _That’s _true power.” He sneered at her. Her expression never faltered and she lifted her hand, her magic circling around her wrist and fingers.

“You’re not a god. You’re a coward that hides behind powerful objects and claims it for his own.”

“And what are you?” he asked, the venom dripped words spitting at her. She sends him a villainous smile as she contorts her fingers, sending her magic back inside him. He groaned and yelled in pain as the scarlet tendrils of her magic spread through his body, searching for his heart.

“I’m the Scarlet Witch,” she said as she found what she was looking for and gave a sharp tug, sending the organ flying out of his chest and into her open hand. Thanos gasped and collapsed onto the ground as he choked on his own blood, dying in seconds. Wanda dropped his heart, her eyes returning to her normal green, and whatever force that kept her going—whether adrenaline or anger—dissipated and she collapsed onto the ground next to Thanos’s body and sobbed.

Steve stood up and walked over to her and patted her shoulder in a comforting manner. Wanda reached up and pulled him down to her level and sobbed into his chest. Steve wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried, whispering soothing and calming things to her. She soon pulled away and looked back over at Claire’s unmoving body. On shaky legs, and with the help of Steve she made her way over to her side, kneeling against her giant wolf head.

Her eyes were closed and she could faintly see the patches of fur that was caked in blood. Wanda’s sobs grew louder as she reached a shaky hand out to touch Claire’s body. It wasn’t true, it couldn’t be, she was still warm. The rest of the Avengers bowed their heads for their friend and teammate. Natasha’s eyes filled with tears as she refused to believe that she lost another teammate, friend, and sister.

Sam sighed and looked at her and mumbled, “Come on, Stowell. Don’t do this.”

Bucky swallowed the lump in his throat and breathed deeply, turning away to punch a tree behind him with his metal arm.

Wanda laid her head down on Claire’s soft fur and grabbed large fistfuls, hoping that that would bring her back. Her sobs where the only noise that filled the area. Steve walked over to her and tried to pull her away, but she fought against him. A quiet groan vibrated through Claire’s body, and though it was drowned out by the sound of Wanda’s sobbing, she stopped instantly at hearing the sound and listened.

“Did you hear that?” her cracked voice asked, looking at Steve. He gave her a sad look and placed his hand on top of hers.

“No.”

“I thought I heard something,” Wanda mumbled and listened again. Steve sighed and reached his hand out to turn Wanda’s face towards his own.

“Wanda, she’s gone. You didn’t hear anything. It’s all in your mind.”

“I _swear_ I heard something, Steve,” Wanda said, her voice so low it almost didn’t come out at all. She turned back to look at Claire and waited for another sound or sign that she was alive.

After a few minutes, when Steve was about to give up, Claire let out another groan and her body began to shift back to her human form. She laid in the grass, gazing up at Wanda’s worried and relieved face, blinking several times to bring it back into focus. She groaned again, louder as pain spread through her body.

“Jesus _fucking _Christ!” Claire exclaimed as she sat up, wincing a little bit. “That guy_ really _packs a punch.” Claire rolled her shoulder, stretching her sore muscles. Wanda sat stunned in front of her, completely and utterly frozen as Claire shook off the pain. Before Claire could say another word, she tackled Claire in a hug, squeezing her tight and burying her face into her fiery red hair. “Woah, there Little Red! You don’t want to kill me do you?” Claire asked chuckling at Wanda’s eagerness.

“I thought I lost you,” Wanda said, crying into Claire’s hair. Claire wrapped her arms around Wanda and rubbed her back, calming her down.

“I’m alright, love. Just a little banged up, but I’ll be fine.” Wanda pulled away and gently grabbed her face in her hands, forcing Claire’s eyes to stare into her own.

“I swear to God, don’t you _ever _do that to me _again_. Do you hear me?” Wanda asked seriously though she giggled in relief. Claire smiled at her and brought her hands up and circled around the back of Wanda’s neck.

“I hear you, love,” the redhead whispered as she pulled her girlfriend closer to her, pressing her lips to hers.

“I love you,” Wanda hummed into the kiss, not wanting to pull away.

“I love you too.”

When the two pulled away, they were bombarded with hugs from the rest of the Avengers. Natasha crashed into Claire first, barely beating Bucky who was second, and Steve and Sam were tied.

“You had me worried half to death,” Natasha mumbled in their hug. Claire chuckled, the vibrations reverberating throughout everyone.

“Only half, Nat?” Natasha bumped her hard, causing her to groan a bit as the rest of the team laughed.

“Claire, if you ever fucking pull some shit like this again, I will fucking follow you to the underworld, drag your fucking soul back, fucking revive you, only to fucking kill you myself, you fucking dumbass asshat,” Bucky said as his metal arm crushed Claire.

Oh, Bicky, I think you need to work on your anger management,” she groaned at the pressure. “It’s not healthy for you to be speaking like this. It makes you sound much more aggressive than you actually are.”

“He’s right, Stowell; you’re a fucking asshat,” Sam said as he wiped a tear away from his eye.

“Aww. I love you too, Sap,” Claire said finding his back in the mass of bodies around her and giving it a pat. They all hung on for a little while longer, but eventually let her go. Claire sighed, enjoying the feeling of being loved and smiled at them. “Listen guys, on a serious note, I didn’t mean to scare you; especially you Wanda. But I need you all to do me _one_ favor.”

“What’s that Claire Bear?” Bucky asked as he rolled his eyes and shook his head at her. Claire looked at each and every one of them.

“Nobody…fucking…tells…Jemma.”


	42. Back to Normal, and No One Died!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes deal with the immediate aftermath of Thanos's attack.

The heroes, though grateful that Thanos had been defeated and that the universe was spared from his bloodlust, wished that their entire team and survived the fray. Once Claire had recovered, she and Wanda stood up and walked to where Vision was before Wanda destroyed the stone.

Wanda knelt down in the grass and lowered her head, a small whimpering cry escaped her lips. Claire lowered herself down beside her and pulled her into her arms, letting her cry into her jacket. Claire ran her fingers through Wanda’s hair, gently untangling the forming knots and removing leaves and small sticks.

“I know, baby,” Claire whispered to her as she planted a small kiss on her forehead. Wanda tightened her arms around Claire’s waist and buried her face further into her black leather jacket. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

When Wanda had calmed down and pulled away out of Claire’s embrace, Claire took off her jacket—which was too big on her since it was Bucky’s that she stole—and draped it over Wanda’s trembling body, offering her a small smile. Wanda returned it, and pulled the jacket over her more, letting it envelope her, and inhaled deeply, catching Claire’s scent that lingered in the fabric.

“So…what do we do now?” Claire asked, turning away from Wanda and towards Steve. Wanda kept her eyes down, not looking away from where she last saw Vision. She felt guilty; she shouldn’t be missing him this much. She had no right to mourn him, having not seen him or been in contact with him since Germany, and even before then, she wasn’t that great of a friend to him. She shut him out during her grieving and when she moved in with Jemma, she ignored him. When he tried to help her, she pushed him away and them almost immediately took control of his mind and shoved him through several floors worth of concrete. And despite this, he still held some kind of love for her—though she wasn’t sure if it was strictly platonic or bridging on romantic—and he had forgiven her for everything she had ever done to him.

Even now, that she was the cause of his untimely death, Wanda felt the warmth of his forgiveness wash over her and it made her sick to her stomach. She didn’t deserve his forgiveness; she deserved his hatred and condemnation. She deserved to be caged or imprisoned like the monster she—and everyone else—knew she was. She didn’t deserve to mourn.

Sensing her distress, Claire placed her hand on Wanda’s shoulder and her voice came through her mind, crossing over through the mental connection that she forgot they had.

_“You’re not a monster.”_

“Now…we try to live,” Steve said as his heart eased and the adrenaline disappeared, leaving him tired.

The Avengers walked out of the forest and back towards the main battle ground where the Wakandans stood, shouting and cheering in victory, walking past the dead bodies of Outriders and broken Threshers. Claire walked Wanda back towards the palace, her hand on her back and her jacket still wrapped around Wanda. She had stopped crying and allowed herself to calm down and she was exhausted, physically and emotionally.

Claire directed her inside and into an empty suit and over to sit on the bed. Claire knelt down and undid the laces on Wanda’s boots and took them off, placing them at the foot of the bed. She then stood up, sat next to Wanda, pulled off her jacket, and took off her own long red leather jacket, resting it on the end of the bed. Moving upwards, Claire’s fingers gently brushed against Wanda’s neck as she undid the clasp on her necklaces, and Wanda shivered and blinked for the first time in a few minutes.

She took the necklaces off and placed them on the little table beside the bed, Wanda’s eyes following her, though she said nothing. She turned back to her and grasped her shoulders and pushed her down on the bed, resting her head against the pillows, and moved down and lifted her feet onto the bed, helping her lie down. She then grabbed a small blanket and covered the lower half of her body with it and then grabbed her black jacket and draped it over the front half of Wanda’s body.

Claire sat on the edge of the bed and moved her hand to move the hair out of Wanda’s face, coming face-to-face with the scar above her left eyebrow. Her eyes moved downward and stared into Wanda’s green eyes that were filled with exhaustion and gave her a small smile. They could finally relax and take a much needed breath. Wanda’s eyes fluttered and Claire chuckled she caressed her cheek. Wanda closed her eyes, relaxing into the touch. Claire leaned down and kissed her forehead and Wanda opened her eyes, looking into Claire’s as she pulled away.

“Get some sleep, love,” she whispered as she ran her fingers through Wanda’s hair. “I’m gonna find Jemma and work out the plan with Steve. I’ll send Jemma back here, but get some sleep, I know you’re exhausted; you didn’t sleep much the last few days. I’ll be back soon.” Claire stood up from the bed, but Wanda’s arm shot up and grabbed her. Claire turned back around and knelt down on the floor, becoming eye level with Wanda. She gently pecked her nose as Wanda rolled over and sat up a little, looking at her. Her hand came up and latched onto Claire’s hair in an effort to keep her anchored.

“Stay,” Wanda demanded in a quiet voice, exhaustion hitting her.

“I can’t Little Red. One of us has to hear the plan, and you’re not going because you look like you can barely stay awake until I finish my sentence,” Claire laughed. Wanda smiled and rolled her tired eyes. “Besides, you need rest. I know you wore yourself out, so get some sleep, and I’ll be back before you wake up.” Claire removed Wanda’s hand from her head and tucked it in, close to Wanda’s chest and stood up.

“You promise?”

“I promise, Little Red.” Wanda gave her a disbelieving look and Claire chuckled as she bent down to kiss her. “Have I ever lied to you?”

“No…”

“And I don’t intend to. I keep my promises; especially ones made to you.” Claire left the room and wandered the halls looking for Jemma. She needed to find her to let her know that the two of them were okay and to also make sure that Jemma wasn’t harmed during the assault.

Walking up a few floors above where Wanda was resting, Claire into a conference room filled with the Wakandans and Avengers. Jemma stood near the back of the room across from the door looking intently as Steve spoke out to the room. He stopped when Claire entered, giving her a soft smile, and Jemma’s head snapped over to her. She let out a little gasp as she ran over to the redhead with Claire meeting her half-way, and threw her arms around her, her left hand cradling her head. Claire smiled a little bit as Jemma’s soft cries reached her ears. Jemma pulled away from the hug and lifted her hands up to hold Claire’s face and her face was contorted in shock, as if she couldn’t believe she was really there or that she was looking at a ghost.

Jemma’s shocked face quickly turned into an angry frown and she removed her hands and smacked at Claire’s arm and upper body.

“What the _fuck _were you thinking, scaring me like that? God damn, you Claire! What the fuck is wrong with you, pulling a stunt like that? Jesus Christ, I should kill you. I should—” Jemma groaned and embraced a horror stricken Claire again, holding her tightly. She turned her wide purple eyes to the rest of the people in the room, who snickered and smiled. A scowl formed on her face and she glared at them.

"Alright. Which one of you fuckers told?”

Bucky and Sam exploded in laughter as her eyes landed on them. Bucky slapped his knee as he doubled over, howling and Sam clutched his stomach and wiped a tear from his eye.

“It was definitely Bicky,” Sam said he tried to stop laughing, only to start back up again. Bucky immediately stopped and looked at him, his brows furrowed.

“It was not. It was you,” he retorted. Sam looked at him and glared.

“Boys,” Claire said as Jemma let her go. “I don’t care who it was, the point is that, you broke a promise.”

“Actually,” Natasha spoke up, raising her hand. “None of us ever_ actually _promised not to tell Jemma.” Bucky shrugged while Sam pointed over at Natasha. Jemma turned towards her and frowned, looking a tad angrier.

“You weren’t going to tell me you were hurt and that you died?”

“I didn’t die! And I wasn’t that hurt.”

“Claire, you were out cold,” Bucky said, his voice low and sad. “You weren’t moving, we thought…you died.”

Claire noticed another tear fall down Jemma’s face. She stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms around the older woman who had become so much like a mother figure to her. Jemma pressed her face against Claire’s chest, her ear right above her heart, listening to soft thumping of her heart, letting the steady beating convince her that Claire was really there.

“It’s okay, Jemma. I’m here.”

“I know. I’m glad you’re okay.” Jemma pulled out of the hug and pinched Claire’s cheek, a smile on her face. “Where’s Wanda?”

“She’s sleeping in a room a few floors below us. She wore herself out and needed to rest.”

“Is she alright?” Claire’s face turned serious as she glanced away from Jemma before looking back.

“She will be.”

○○○

Claire at the meeting for a while, listening to Steve and T’Challa go back and forth on a plan of action to get rid of all the alien corpses and broken technology. Just like Wanda, Claire’s eyes fluttered every few minutes and she would nod off, jolting her head back up as she woke herself. Natasha looked over at her, and moved from her seat, taking the one next to her. Steve didn’t notice the shuffle and kept on talking. Natasha studied Claire for a brief moment before she shook her shoulder gently, when Claire nodded off and didn’t wake up. Claire jolted awake and stared at Natasha with wide eyes.

“You should go rest.”

“I’m fine, Nat.” Her eyes once again fluttered as she tried hard to stay awake, albeit failing.

“I’m serious, Claire, you worked yourself hard today. You deserve to rest. You don’t need to worry about all this.” Claire ignored her and sat up in her seat, hoping that the movement and change in position would help wake her up.

Natasha sighed, looked at Steve and cleared her throat, stopping him in mid-sentence. Steve paused and looked over at her and then over at Claire when Natasha pointed at her. Claire’s plan didn’t work and her eyes were closed. Steve sighed and walked around the table to sit at Claire’s other side. He too shook her shoulder, sending her body flying back into the chair as she jolted awake, a loud snort slipping out of her mouth. Claire looked around confused between Steve and Natasha, both of them giving her small guilty smiles.

“Claire, go get some rest. You did enough today,” Steve said as he pulled her up from the chair. Unlike with Natasha, Claire didn’t argue, and stood up and walked towards the door to the conference room. Jemma ran over to her and grabbed her hand with her right hand and placed her left hand on Claire’s back, helping to keep her steady as she walked with her eyes narrowed so much they looked like they were closed.

“Come on, Claire. Let’s get you to bed,” Jemma muttered as she followed Claire’s half-asleep directions to the lower floors where Wanda was sleeping.

Arriving at the room, Jemma opened the door and walked Claire over to the empty side on the bed, next to Wanda. She accidentally let her grip on Claire slip as she was lowering her down, and Claire flopped onto the bed, face first. She picked her head up and groggily glared at Jemma, whose eyes were wide and was covering her mouth with her hands.

“Jemma,” Claire whined as she laid down, getting comfy.

“I’m so sorry,” Jemma whispered, not wanting to wake Wanda who was fast asleep and snoring. “You slipped.” Jemma made fast work taking off Claire’s shoes and pulling the blanket over her. It didn’t take long for Claire to fall asleep, and Jemma smiled as Claire reached out to Wanda and turned over to her side, facing Wanda, and scoot closer to her, hugging her from behind. A smile formed on Wanda’s face and Jemma, feeling like she was intruding, left the room.

“I told you I’d keep my promise,” Claire mumbled into Wanda’s ear as her smile grew.


	43. We Get to GoHome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Thanos's defeat, the Avengers help the Wakandans clean up. The Guardians of the Galaxy show up and drop Tony and Peter off. Claire and Wanda plan their future together.

The Avengers stayed in Wakanda for the rest of the week, helping T’Challa and the different tribes clean up the mess that Thanos and his Children left behind. On one particular day, as the Avengers and Wakandans were in the field beyond the city collecting the rest of the dead aliens and a their own warriors, a spaceship landed outside the blue dome, causing all heads to snap over to it and stiffen. Claire let out a loud and vicious growl as she shifted into her wolf without hesitation. She trotted over towards Wanda and stood in front of her in her attack position.

She planted her paws into earth, digging her claws into the soil, anchoring her and lowered her head and barred her fangs. She wasn’t going to let anymore aliens get the drop on her, not this time. Steve looked over at her and held out his arm towards her.

“Keep steady, Claire,” he said as he looked over at T’Challa. The king met his look, and understanding the silent message, he tapped his comm.

“On my signal, open North-West section seventeen,” he said.

_“Requesting confirmation, my king. You said open the barrier?” _the dome control technician replied, sounding unsure and nervous. T’Challa nodded, not taking his eyes off the craft.

“On my signal.” The hatch opened on the ship, and Claire didn’t wait for an order, and took off running towards the ship, growling and snarling. Her heavy paws pounded against the ground, her claws kicking up small chunks of earth as she ran, forcing herself to run faster. She panted heavily as she pushed herself to run faster, determined to get to them before they had a chance to get to her or her friends.

She was approaching the barrier, and a small gateway opened up. Claire pushed herself, roaring loudly, her wolf angry and seeing red. She slowly started to lose control over her wolf, having never pushed her this hard. Her wolf growled and snapped her jaw as she started to foam at the mouth. Her eyes never left the spacecraft, and she was curious as to why they haven’t left yet. She was getting closer, only yards away now, when a figure stepped out and down the open hatch.

The figure lifted his arm up over his face, blocking the sun’s harsh rays from hitting his eyes. When his eyes adjusted, he removed his hand revealing his face, and when Claire saw him, she full regained control and skidded to a halt. Tony Stark froze as Claire sped closer to him, desperately trying to stop. Claire stopped and sat inches away from his face staring at each other with wide eyes. Claire moved her head forward, sniffing the billionaire playboy philanthropist, before huffing and standing to move out of his way.

Tony sent a startled glare at her as he walked the rest of the way down off the ship. A few more figures appeared out of the ship and walked down the hatch. Claire recognized the teenaged boy dressed in the red spider suit, and she also remembered the sting of his webs when he shot her. When the boy looked over at her, she lowered her ears, narrowed her eyes, and growled lowly at him, showing her fangs. Peter jumped and moved away from her. Behind him stood a broad man with gray skin and weird red markings covering him. Claire mentally rolled her eyes at his lack of shirt and moved her attention to a tall woman with huge eyes and…antennas? Claire made a little chirp noise of confusion as the woman walked over to her with a smile on her face.

“Oooh! What kind of creature are you?” she asked as she reached her hand out towards Claire’s head, itching to pet her.

“Umm…I wouldn’t touch her. She bites,” Tony said, gaining the woman’s attention. She looked back over at Claire as she sent a growl towards Tony. Claire softened her gaze at the woman and leaned into her hand letting her pet her. She suddenly felt a presence in her mind, almost like an…awareness, and her eyes widened. The woman’s antennas glowed a bright light and a big smile formed on her face as she laughed loudly.

“What’s so funny?” Tony asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Pointing at Tony with her free hand and still laughing, the woman said, “She…she feels some very undesirable things about you Mr. Stark! She thinks you are a…tin man!” The woman burst into laughter again and removed her hand from Claire’s head. Claire stuck her tongue out and panted happily, swishing her tail back and forth on the grass. Tony scowled at her while she sent him a wolfish grin.

Peter took careful steps closer to her, taking advantage of her happier attitude and stuck out his hand towards her.

“She’s not gonna bite me, right Mr. Stark? You—you were just kidding about that?” Peter asked. Claire, seeing his hand moving towards him, changed her expression and growled again, but not a viciously as before, but in warning. Peter took his hand back a little, looking into her eyes. “I’m—I’m sorry I shot you. Sometimes, I get a little…excited.” Claire growled again but laid down in the grass at Peter’s feet and rolled over, showing her belly. “Does this mean you forgive me?”

Claire snorted in reply and Peter bent down and gently pet her soft black fur. Peter laughed as a contented rumbling vibrated through her body as he pet her. When he finished, she sat back up and walked around Peter’s legs, rubbing her head against him and letting out a little whine. Peter bent down and wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her.

“I’m glad you forgive me,” he said in her ear. She mentally smiled at him. _How could I not when you look like the cross between a baby and a teddy bear? I may be a beast, but I’m no monster._

“So…this is Earth,” a man with unruly brown hair and a small brown mustache said as he placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, smiling.

“It’s too hot,” a blue skinned mechanical woman muttered to herself as she stepped off the ship.

“I think I could get with Earth. What do you think, guys? Want to set up shop here for a bit?” the brown haired man—Star Lord—said turning towards the small group. Tony groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Listen Robin Hood, don’t you and your merry gang of misfits need to scamper back to Sherwood’s Forest right about now?” Tony asked, sounding like he was on his last nerve.

“Oh! Mr. Stark is getting grump, isn’t he? Isn’t he? Yes, he is. Yes, he is,” Peter mumbled to her in baby talk and ruffled her fur, scratching her in all the right places. Claire couldn’t help it, but she smiled a wolfish smile at him and wagged her tail.

“Kid, stop. She’s not a dog, she’s a person,” Tony said looking over at them. His hand was pressed against his forehead and his eyes were closed. He opened his eyes and looked at Claire and sighed. “Where’s Cap?”

Claire growled a little at him but stood up and led the way back across the field. As they walked, Peter paused a picked up large stick that broke off from a surrounding tree. Smiling, he took the stick and ran over to the front of the group where Claire was leading and waved it in her face.

“Wanna play fetch?” he asked. Her eyes snapped over to him and widened, locking onto the stick. Peter waved it slowly, watching as her eyes followed. He brought the stick behind him and then threw far from where they were walking. “Go get it!”

Claire sprinted after the stick, barking the whole way. When she arrive at where the stick landed, she tripped over her own feet as she tried to stop and grab it. A small cloud of dust shot up into the air when she landed, but she got up unfazed and grabbed the stick before running back over to Peter.

She dropped the stick at Peter’s feet and stood ready, lowering the front half of her body, wagging her tail. Peter threw the stick again, further this time, and Claire ran off again, this time outrunning the stick. She jumped up and caught it in her mouth and ran back over to Peter.

They kept playing, even as they got closer to the Avengers. Once more, Peter threw the stick and Claire ran after it. This time, the stick was caught by Wanda and she held the stick in her hands, waiting for Claire. The rest of the Avengers and Wakandans moved away from her, watching as Claire’s hulking wolf came bound towards them. Wanda smirked, calling her bluff and held strong, standing her ground. Claire smirked also, and continued, only slowing down just a tad so that she didn’t hurt Wanda. She them leaped into the air slightly, pouncing on Wanda and knocking them both down. Wanda let out a loud laugh as they both hit the ground, Claire being careful to not drop all her weight on her. The stick fell out of her hands and Claire forgot all about it. She nuzzled her red face and licked her cheek. Wanda squealed in delight and surprise as she tried to push Claire off her.

After a minute, Claire got up off her and walked around behind her, pushing her head against her back to help her get up. At that moment Tony, Peter, and the Guardians stood in front of the Avengers and Wakandans, and Claire shifted back into her human form and wrapped her arms around Wanda from behind and planted a kiss on her neck, just below her jawline.

Tony stepped up towards Steve, holding out his hand.

“Rogers,” he said. Steve took his hand and shook it.

“Stark. It’s good to see you.”

“Yeah…you too. So…I’m guessing you stopped him.”

“It was kinda close,” Steve said looking over at Wanda and Claire. “We almost a lot more than we anticipated.” Tony nodded and looked over at Claire, giving her a small uneasy smile.

“I gotta admit; it’s good to see you, Padfoot,” Tony said. “You too, Maximoff.” They both nodded at Tony in acknowledgement and Wanda’s eyes flickered over to the Guardians.

“Who are they?” Wanda asked, nodding her head in their direction, directing the question to Tony. He sighed and turned towards them. Before he could answer, Star Lord stepped up.

“Yeah, uh, I’m Peter Quill, otherwise known as Star Lord.” He paused for dramatic effect and maybe even applause, though he was surprised when none came his way. The metaphorical cricket chirped in the silence. “Wha—come on. Star Lord! Best thief in the galaxy? Am I ringing any bells?” He sighed when everyone shook their heads. “Anyway, we’re the Guardians of the Galaxy.”

“‘Guardians of the Galaxy’? Guardians of which galaxy?” Claire asked stepping away from Wanda. Quill just looked at her, an incredulous look on his face.

“_This _galaxy.” Claire burst out into a loud fit of giggles that lasted for several minutes and collapsed into the grass. Calming down, she looked back over at Quill.

“No, come on, be serious. Which galaxy?”

“This one,” he said again looking a little offended. Claire started laughing again.

“Oh, _come on_! You expect me to believe that _you_,” she gestured to them, “guard _our galaxy_?! This is a joke, surely.” Claire walked over to Mantis and held up her hand for a high-five. Mantis, not understanding the gesture, high-fived her, and instantly started laughing too.

“I…have never felt…such joy!” she cried between laughs, tears coming to her eyes. Wanda pulled Claire away and sat her down on the grass, rolling her eyes with a loving grin on her face as she watched the woman she loved roll around as she continued to laugh. Soon a continuous hacking cough took the place of the laugh and Claire stood up from the grass. Clearing her throat, she rested her arm on Wanda’s shoulder and used her body to lean against her, adding a little bit of weight, careful to not knock her over.

“I’m good. Sorry,” she said waving off the stares. Natasha rolled her eyes the figurative child and turned away, looking at the Guardians.

“So what brings you to Earth,” she asked placing a hand on her hip.

“We were just dropping these two off,” the gray man said. “By the way, I am Drax.”

“They call me Mantis,” said the woman with the antennas. Drax pointed over at the blue skinned woman, waiting for her to introduce herself. She sighed heavily and turned towards them.

“Nebula,” she muttered. Claire nodded, but froze when Thor walked over with a raccoon and a tree?

“What the hell? Is that a raccoon?” Claire asked.

“Who called me a raccoon?” the raccoon, Rocket, asked as he clenched his little fists.

“Why is the raccoon talking?” Claire asked again as she subtly stepped in front of Wanda. Rocket walked over to her.

“Listen here, little orphan Annie,” Rocket said stepping to her. Claire growled. “I am _not _a raccoon!”

“Oh yeah? Well, it looks like you are,” she growled. Rocket growled back.

“You wanna go?”

“Bring it, trash panda.”

“Trash panda?! That’s it!” Rocket pulled a large gun that was strapped to his back and aimed it at Claire. Claire growled and shifted into her giant wolf, not phasing Rocket in the slightest. Wanda ignited her magic and stepped between Claire and Rocket keeping them separated.

“Okay, you both need to chill out,” Wanda said. She turned towards Claire, knowing that Claire would be the better option to convince to stand down. Her magic disappeared and she gently placed her hands against the sides of Claire’s snout. Claire looked past her and at Rocket and growled. “Hey, look at me. You need to chill out. Okay? Relax. You’re going to tire yourself out, baby. Calm down.”

Claire growled again as she tried to ignore Wanda’s words. She tried to shake her head, but Wanda’s hands kept her in place. She avoided looking at Wanda’s face because she knew that she couldn’t avoid looking into her eyes, and if she looked into her eyes, she would melt and give in. She didn’t want to give in; she wanted to rip that little rat to pieces. She growled again her eyes glowing. Wanda knelt down in the grass and stared into Claire’s glowing purple eyes. She ran her hand along the fur on her face, rubbing her ear, which caused Claire’s gaze to soften and let out a whine. Wanda looked at her, her eyes pleading with her.

“Please. I know you’re feeling angry. I know you want to do something about it, but please, Claire; stop. Come back to me, baby,” she whispered. Claire whined loudly and shifted back, pulling Wanda into her arms once she was normal again.

“I’m sorry, love.” She looked over at Rocket and pulled away from Wanda and walked over to him. Sitting in the grass next to him, she held out her hand to him. “I’m sorry.” Rocket nodded at her and shook her hand.

“Right, well, I think it’s time we left. Guardians let’s pack it up,” Quill said, leading the Guardians away before another fight broke out.

The Guardians turned and left, heading back to their ship and took off. The Avengers finished what they were doing, before returning into the palace for the night.

○○○

The sun had set over the mountains surrounding Wakanda and the stars peaked out against the dark sky. Wanda sat on the bed, reading a book, a cup of tea in her hand. Claire stood by the large windows, looking out at the lights of the city. Celebratory music played in the streets and drifted up into the night sky, softly reaching their room. Claire turned from the window and pressed her back against it, sighing and closing her eyes. Wanda looked up from her book and looked over at her.

“Claire?” her accent was now barely detectable, and she didn’t roll the “r” as much as she once did. Regardless, Claire loved the sound of Wanda’s voice saying her name. No matter how she said it, she would always love her voice as well as every bit of the Sokovian. “Are you okay?” Wanda placed her book and mug on the bedside table and got out of the bed, walking over to Claire.

Claire opened her eyes and gazed at the beauty that stood before her. Wanda had changed out of her earlier outfit and into a pair of black shorts, a white tank top, and Claire’s black leather jacket that was way too big on her, just like it was on Claire. The bright moonlight shone into the room, illuminating Wanda’s green eyes, engulfing the forests in them in a silky silver light. Claire’s hands came up to Wanda’s cheeks and her thumbs slowly caressed her soft skin. Wanda smiled at the touch and brought her hands up and grasped Claire’s wrists.

Claire smiled as the moonlight lit up Wanda’s face, making her subtle blush stand out against the paleness.

“You’re so beautiful,” she sighed. Wanda looked down as her cheeks burned a bright scarlet. Claire moved her right hand down to Wanda’s chin and lifted it, bringing her eyes back up into the moonlight. Claire leaned down and pressed her lips against Wanda’s, shifting her hands to her waist. Wanda’s arms reached out and wrapped around the back of Claire’s neck, tangling in her curly red hair.

They soon broke the kiss and Wanda stood up on her toes slightly, pressing her forehead against Claire’s. Claire let out a little chuckle and moved her hands farther south and lifted Wanda up off the ground with ease. She gasped and wrapped her legs around Claire’s waist and her arms around her neck, anchoring herself so she wouldn’t fall. Claire’s hands sat on the backs of Wanda’s thighs, gripping her tight, but not enough to hurt her.

“Don’t drop me,” Wanda begged, biting her lip again before pressing her lips to Claire’s, sealing their distance with a passionate and hungry kiss. Claire’s laugh reverberated through the kiss and she playfully loosened her grip on Wanda’s legs eliciting a startled squeal from the Sokovian as she dipped down a tad before she tightened her legs and arms. She looked up and glared at Claire who only chuckled a deep chuckle, and unlike ever before, Claire’s eyes turned to a _dark _purple; almost a violet or…maybe an indigo.

“I’ll never let you fall, baby girl.” Claire brushed her nose against Wanda’s, walking over towards the bed. She sat Wanda down on the soft mattress and removed her hands from her thighs and Wanda untangled her legs from around her waist and sat up, kneeling up on the bed. She moved her right hand to run through Claire’s hair and gazed into her eyes.

“I don’t deserve you,” she murmured.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t deserve to have someone like you, who loves me more than their own life, who would do anything to protect me without any regard for their own safety, who makes me feel safe and secure, who puts my needs above their own. You’re one of a kind, Claire, and I’m glad you chose me.”

Claire smiled and sat down on the bed next to her, her eyes back to their normal color. She reached over and grasped Wanda’s hand and her smile grew. She looked over at the love of her life and felt…complete. Her life had been nothing but turmoil and filled with pain, but ever since she met Wanda, she had known only peace. Wanda made her feel safe. Wanda taught her to love herself. Wanda made her see that she wasn’t what she was brainwashed into believing she was. Wanda helped her in ways that no one else could.

She studied Wanda’s face, watching the way her nose crinkled a bit and how she would pause a bit when she said words that were difficult to pronounce in her American accent., or how when she spoke, her lips would curl upwards, or how her eyes would widen when she was excited. She watched as Wanda spoke, but she didn’t hear a word as she got lost in her breathtaking green eyes.

“Claire, are you listening to me?” Wanda asked, raising her brow at her and smirking. Claire’s face became flushed as she rubbed the back of her neck. Wanda moved to sit in her lap and pushed her down on the bed. “You were staring at me. Did you see something you liked?”

Claire sat back up and kicked back on the bed, scooting her and Wanda back and leaned against the pillows and headboard. She grabbed her hair and pushed it away from her neck and lightly kissed the soft spot behind Wanda’s ear.

“I always do,” Claire muttered.

“And what did you see?”

“You.” Claire removed her lips from Wanda’s neck and looked up at her. Wanda got off and laid in the bed next to her, grabbing Claire’s left arm and draping it behind her neck. Claire brought her right hand over and wrapped her fingers around Wanda’s, making her smile.

“What do we do now?” she asked, looking down at their hands. Claire inhaled deeply and turned her head, looking at the opposite wall.

“We get to go home,” she answered, peace filling her at the thought of relaxing for once. “I don’t know about you, but I think I’ve had my fill of this hero shit for a while. All I want to do is find a place somewhere, and just…live…with you.” She turned back and looked at Wanda, smiling at her as she beamed at the thought of moving in together. Though they technically were already living together before, it still felt like an honor, and Wanda was happy at the proposal.

“Where did you have in mind?” Wanda asked, accepting her offer, as she settled into Claire’s embrace, tiredness feeding into her. Claire too leaned back in the bed, resting her head on the pillows.

“I don’t know. You got any place that you want to go?”

“How about…New York?”

Claire looked down at Wanda, still smiling, exhaustion lining her eyes.

“New York it is then.”


	44. New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Wanda find an apartment in New York and try to live normal lives. Claire's new job stresses her out.

The rest of their time in Wakanda was spent with Wanda and Claire glued to computers and their phones as they searched for the perfect place for them (within their price range). Tony offered to pay for whatever apartment they wanted as a peace offering and apology for what happened in Germany and the Raft, and though the two women were still wary of Tony Stark, they appreciated the offer but ultimately declined.

Eventually they found a good enough place—after Wanda had the brilliant idea of searching for available apartments in the same complex that Jemma lived—in Manhattan. They were excited to move in, especially when they learned that Jemma kept paying the rent on her old apartment, so they would still be together, just not as close. Wanda felt a little guilty about leaving Jemma all alone in that big apartment, knowing that sometimes the memories of her and Lily living there could become too much for her, but Jemma assured her—many times—that she was fine and would be fine on her own. Wanda only let the subject go because she figured that if anything happened, she and Claire were close by and could go see her.

The first few weeks after they moved in were by far the hardest for them. Surprisingly, neither of them considered that the apartment was unfurnished and that furniture (and literally anything else they needed like toiletries and _food_) was even more expensive when you rent an apartment in New York. Jemma was gracious enough to let the two of them crash in her apartment while they both got jobs to pay for furniture, and to help make up for the fact that they were eating her food, Wanda would often cook the meals for them when she got off from her job at a local grocery store.

Between the both of them working, they were slowly making the money they needed to furnish their apartment. Within a few months, they had a bed, two bedside tables, a small couch, dishes and silverware, a microwave, a less than decent coffee machine that Wanda was wary of using (Claire found it sitting out on the street with a sign that read, “take me” and decided to bring it home), and a stocked pantry of minute-ready meals.

Wanda was glad that their apartment wasn’t as big as the one she shared with Jemma, this one was cozy with just the two of them, and it was less space to fill with furniture. At night, when both of them were home from work and after they ate dinner, they would curl up on the couch together with Wanda’s laptop that she found in Jemma’s apartment and watch either reruns of _The Office_, _Friends_, or a dumb romantic comedy.

Unlike Wanda, Claire got a job in an office working as a secretary/assistant to the higher-ups, and she _hated _it. She hated how she had to get dressed up in clothes that weren’t jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket. She hated that she had to put make-up on every day to “look presentable” and how she had to use it to cover her scar. She hated how almost everyone in the office took advantage of her and showed her no mercy when they needed something done, not caring that she was already in the middle of another task. She hated that she was never really listened to because of her work status; but the one thing that she hated more than all of those things combined was one of the managers, Brad Matthews. No doubt Brad was the child of a well-off asshole who owned the company and employed him to get him out of the house and some “work-place experience”. She hated everything about him, from his greasy slicked back brown hair to his cocky grin. His whole aura practically screamed “I was a frat boy in the alpha house in college”.

Because he was only a co-manager, he wasn’t in the office every day, but he was there much more than Claire would’ve liked. Brad was one of those guys who was way too narcissistic and tried to make everyone get onto their level. He was a slacker who diverted his work to lower people like Claire and then took the credit when it was completed, and whenever he was in the office, he openly flirted with all the female employees, Claire included. And for some reason that Claire could only think of it as the fates messing with her, Brad paid particular attention to her.

Whenever he was there and saw her, he would drop whatever he was doing and stop any conversation he was in the middle of and run over to her and start flirting with her, trying to use his “charm” to make her fall for him. And every day, Claire bit her tongue and plastered on a fake smile and politely decline any offer of a date or hook-up that he threw her way; she didn’t need to get fired. The thing that she hated most about him was his complete lack of understanding for “no means no”.

“Hey, Claire. How’s it going?” Claire internally groaned at the sound of Brad’s voice behind her. She put on her fake smile and turned towards him.

“I’m fine, Mr. Matthews. Can I help you with something?” Her voice was strained as she suppressed the snarl that vibrated in her chest. Brad flashed her his signature cocky grin and stepped forward, closing the distance between them, causing Claire to take a step back into the wall.

“Hell yeah, you can help me with something.” He lifted his hands that held several manila folders and handed them to her. “I need you fill out the rest of the paperwork for the Johnson account. Some dumbass screwed up their order, so we gotta redo everything. Have them on my desk when you’re done.” He then walked away, leaving Claire with bitter thoughts racing through her head.

She sighed and took the folders to her designated work station and began getting to work. As she read through the reports and documents that had the mistakes, she could only think of how Brad was definitely the one who screwed up the order since he couldn’t pay attention to anything of importance for more than two seconds. She did the best she could to right the wrongs that had been made, and when she was done, she returned the folders to Brad’s office and left before he could talk to her again.

“Hey, Claire, wait.” Her plan failed and a small audible groan left her lips. She turned to face him. She had only been at work for a few hours, finishing half of her shift and she was already exhausted. “So, I know you get off in a couple more hours, and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out and get some dinner and hang out at my place.” His cocky grin told her exactly what “hang out at my place” meant, and it took everything in her to _not _throw up her lunch. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, hoping to convince her to say yes, but she once again smiled and declined.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Matthews, but I need to run out after my shift. I have to get home to take care of my sick and elderly grandmother,” she lied, but his grin didn’t let up.

“How about tomorrow night? I know you have off tomorrow; I could skip out and we can get some food and catch a movie? And then if things go right…” he winked at her.

“I’m sorry, but I have plans.” Claire didn’t let him respond, walking out of his office and back to her area to finish her work so she could clock out.

○○○

Claire sighed in relief as she walked out of the building at the end of her shift without another interaction with Brad. She walked to the corner and down into the subway and walked the short distance to get to the right train that she needed to take to home. She groaned when she got on the train and sat in the hard plastic seat, pressing her hand against her forehead and closing her eyes, hoping to ease the pounding headache she had. She was stressed and aggravated and in addition to this, her wolf screamed to get out and to claw Brad’s fucking face off. All she wanted to do now was go home to Wanda, eat dinner because she was starving, and drink a fucking river’s worth of alcohol.

After fifteen minutes on the train, Claire got off at her stop and walked up the steps, stepping back out into the cool night air. She walked the three blocks to the apartment building and then stepped into the elevator, pushing the “7” button. The doors closed and the elevator shook a little as it rose, which should’ve alarmed Claire more than it did, but at this point…she didn’t care. She got off on the seventh floor when the metal doors opened for her and walked down the hall towards Jemma’s apartment.

Every day, before going home to her apartment, Claire would stop by Jemma’s, letting the older woman know that she was home and safe and to check on Jemma. Claire stood at the closed door and raised her fist, knocking on the door. She could hear the quiet shuffling of Jemma walking to the door, and then it opened, revealing Jemma’s happy face.

“I’m home,” Claire mumbled. Jemma laughed and hugged her, being careful to not get the face cream that she had on onto Claire. They pulled out of the hug and Jemma stepped out of the way to allow Claire to come in before closing the door. Claire immediately walked over to the island and sat down on one of the stools, hand pressed against her head again. She smiled a little at the feeling of something nudging her foot, and she looked down at Griffon before picking him up and giving him and kiss on his furry cheek. He curled up into a ball on her lap and she stroked his fur, trying to calm down and forget her day. Jemma walked out of the room briefly before coming back with an ibuprofen and a bottle of water. She placed them on the counter next to Claire, who mouthed a thank you and put Griffon back on the floor. Claire popped the aspirin in her mouth and took a long sip of her water and sighed.

“How was work?” Jemma asked after giving her a minute. She knew how much Claire hated her job, and she felt bad for her. Claire scoffed and took another sip.

“About as fucked up as it is every day. You got anything stronger?” Jemma chuckled and walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer and handed it to her. Claire thanked her and opened it, taking a sip. “That’s much better.”

Claire slowly drank her beer, being wary of the fact that the buzz could hit her a little faster since she hadn’t eaten anything yet and continued talking to Jemma.

“Wanda’s not here is she?” Since Claire got off much later than Wanda, Wanda would sometimes spend the time in Jemma’s apartment, giving them both company. Claire felt bad that Wanda felt a tad lonely when she wasn’t there and only cursed her job for making her stay so late. _If only they didn’t pay so well._

“No, I think she’s at home. She stopped by earlier though.” Claire nodded. “Claire, I think you should talk to Wanda about your job.”

“Why?” Claire asked, finishing her beer. She never really expressed her hatred for her job to Wanda, not with the intent on keeping her in the dark, but because she didn’t want her to worry. She knew that Wanda had her own struggles with her job and that when Claire came home, she could sense that it had been a bad day, and she didn’t want to add any more problems.

“Because Claire, she needs to know how unhappy you are.”

“She knows I’m unhappy working there.”

“She doesn’t know _how _unhappy you are,” Jemma said, her voice full of concern. She turned her eyes to the empty beer bottle. “Do you drink around her?”

Claire sighed. She didn’t drink a lot, mostly because she found that she didn’t like the taste as much as she thought she would.

“Jemma, there’s no issue with my drinking. You know I don’t like it that much, and I only really drink wine some nights with Wanda. Me drinking a beer right now, has nothing to do with my lack of happiness with my job. It has to do with the fact that my supervisor is a fucking idiot who does nothing but flirt with me every chance he gets.” She raised the bottle to her lips again, frowning when she remembered that it was empty. Jemma sighed.

“I didn’t mean to imply that you had a drinking problem. I just…be careful okay? Talk to Wanda; part of the reason why you’re so stressed and aggravated is that you have no outlet. You’re letting everything become bottled up, and you have nowhere to dispose of it, and on top of that, you can’t shift into your wolf. Believe me, Claire, talking helps. She’s not gonna get angry or frustrated when you want to rant to her, though she might be a little upset that you kept this from her. She wants to help you, to make sure you’re alright because she knows you’re not. She can sense the change in you, and she just wants you to let her in.” Jemma placed a hand on her shoulder and used her free hand to wipe away Claire’s stray tear from her cheek. She knew that Jemma was right, since she always was. She stood up from the stool, thanked Jemma for the beer and the talk, pet Griffon once more, and left, heading to her apartment.

Since her apartment was only two floors below Jemma’s Claire didn’t feel like waiting for the elevator and took the stairs instead. She walked down the empty staircase, fishing her keys out from her bag, and when she got onto her floor and to the door of her apartment, she put the key into it and stepped in. The delicious scent of a homecooked meal hung heavily in the air making Claire’s mouth water. Wanda was an amazing cook, though she didn’t think so which made Claire upset. She walked further into the apartment and closed the door behind her.

Walking into the kitchen, Claire smiled at the sight of Wanda cooking on the stove and humming to herself. All the frustration that she had collected from her shitty day at work melted away when she heard Wanda mumble the words to what she guessed was a lullaby in Sokovian. Claire dropped her bag onto one of the chairs at the table and walked over towards Wanda. Reaching her, she wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging her tightly, and kissed her neck and her cheek. Wanda stopped singing and giggled as Claire mumbled how much she loved her while she peppered her skin with kisses.

“Hey, you,” Wanda greeted as she turned in Claire’s arms and kissed her before turning back to the stove. “How was work?” Claire sighed and pressed her head into Wanda’s back, right between her shoulder blades. Wanda placed a hand on top of Claire’s, understanding that that sigh was an answer all its own. “I’m sorry, baby. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Later,” Claire mumbled, still nursing her headache. “Are you making paprikash?” Wanda hummed a yes and Claire placed another kiss against her neck.

“You came home at the right time; it’s almost done.” 

“Thank God! I’m starving,” Claire said as she stepped away from Wanda and opened a cupboard, grabbing two bowls and placed them on the table. When it was done, Wanda dished it out and grabbed a wine glass and a bottle of wine.

“Do you want some?” she asked, offering some to Claire.

“I shouldn’t. I had a beer when I stopped by Jemma’s.”

“You had a beer? Work must’ve been something,” Wanda said chuckling a little, though deep down she was worried. She knew of Claire’s distaste for alcohol and how she really only tolerated wine. Claire snorted and moved to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water.

“You have no idea.” They both sat down and started eating their dinner and Claire not exaggerating about how hungry she was, scarfed down her first few helpings.

“Slow down before you choke,” Wanda warned, giggling at the goofy look of a semi-frightened Claire with her mouth full of food. She swallowed the food in her mouth and ate slower to appease Wanda. She moaned in delight as the spicy taste hit her tongue and exploded in flavor.

“Oh my God, Wanda, this is so good,” Claire said as she helped herself to yet another serving. Wanda smiled and her face turned a light pink.

“Did you eat at all today?” Wanda asked as she took notice of how much Claire was eating in one sitting.

“No. I had to work through my lunchbreak and I couldn’t grab anything for breakfast because I accidentally overslept.” Claire looked over at Wanda with a smirk and wiggled her eyebrows. Wanda coughed on her food as she became flushed.

“This morning was _not _my fault. I said you were going to be late, but you ignored me.” Claire laughed at Wanda’s scarlet face, digging into her food.

“And I have no regrets,” Claire said as she stopped eating and reached over, laying her hand on top of Wanda’s.

○○○

“Claire?” Wanda asked, rolling over in their bed and laying her head on Claire’s shoulder. “Are you asleep?” Claire stretched and shifted a bit, letting out a tired groan.

“Not anymore,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes closed. She loved Wanda, but right now she loved sleep. Wanda bit her lip, debating if now was a good time to ask Claire about her job or if she should wait. She wanted to know more than the usual grumblings that Claire gave when she asked, but Claire never wanted to get into it. It was now or never. “What’s wrong?”

“Tell me about your job,” Wanda asked and Claire groaned.

“Wanda, you know about my job.”

“I want to know more. I know there’s stuff you’re not telling me, stuff that bothers you, and I want to know why.” Wanda rolled over onto her stomach, her elbows holding her up, and looked at Claire’s sleepy face. Claire groaned some more, knowing that she was up for the night and blinked a few times to clear the sleep away.

“If we’re gonna talk about this now, I need a cup of coffee,” she said as she turned on the lamp on her table, flooding the room with light, and got out of bed, heading into the kitchen to make herself some coffee. She returned a few minutes later with a steaming cup. The scent filled the air, and part of Wanda wanted a cup, but she didn’t trust the coffee maker since it practically came from the trash.

“I don’t know how you can use that thing,” Wanda said, scrunching up her face in disgust. Claire chuckled at her, still tired and took a sip.

“Obviously I washed it, Wanda. It’s fine. Look, I’m not dead yet,” Claire said as she placed the mug on her table and gestured to herself. She got back in bed, pulled the covers over her, and laid back against the headboard. Wanda sat up a bit and laid in Claire’s open arm, resting her head on her shoulder. “What do you want to know?”

“How is work?” Claire opened her mouth, but Wanda stopped her. “And before you give me the usual answer, tell me how it _really _is.” Claire sighed and remembered what Jemma said. _Talking helps._

“Honestly, Wanda? It’s shit. I _hate _working there. Every day I go in expecting to have a shit day, and somehow I’m let down by _how _shitty it actually was. I…can feel my wolf clawing at my mind to rip some fucking heads off, but…Everything about that place pisses me the fuck off. No one has any respect for anyone, especially the female workers, and when I’m trying to get my own work done, some lazy son of bitch saunters over to my desk _demanding that I do their work_.” Claire growled, her eyes changing to a light lavender. She started breathing heavy and her voice deepened. She gently pushed Wanda away from her and got out of the bad and paced the floor, trying to calm down, but she had opened the bottle, and now she couldn’t close it.

“And don’t even get me _started _on my supervisor, who happens to be one of the managers. The guy’s a fucking clueless blowhard who can’t understand that no means no. He treats the whole fucking office like it’s some sleezy nightclub and constantly flirts with all the female employees, particularly me.” She looked over at Wanda, still seething. “You know he once had the _audacity _to try to touch me? Yeah. I was sitting in on a meeting, taking notes, and this _fucking asshole_ tried to put his hand on my knee. I just…I don’t understand why he can’t take a fucking clue. He keeps asking me to go out with him, and I have—repeatedly—told him that I’m a) not interested and b) in a relationship with a _woman_, and he still doesn’t get it. I tried to report him to HR, but apparently he’s the son of someone in corporate who just happens to _own _the fucking thing, which _of fucking course_—”

“Claire!” Wanda shouted at her, effectively stopping her angry rant. Claire looked over at her, breathing heavily and stopped pacing. “Take a breath. You’re going to pass out or shift.”

Claire looked down at her hands and saw that the transformation had started as her claws had extended and her hands turned into her large black paws. Claire whimpered and ran into the connecting bathroom and stared at her eyes in the reflection. She gasped when she saw how much they were glowing. It reminded her of the time she accidentally shifted in the motel bathroom. Stumbling back out, Claire fell to the floor and tried desperately to calm herself down, but the panic only exacerbated the change. Wanda hopped off the bed and sped to her side at seeing her distressed. She tried to grab Claire’s hands to help comfort her, but Claire pulled away, fear in her eyes.

“Wanda, stay away. I don’t want to hurt you,” she lightly pushed Wanda away from her and backed up into the wall. Wanda crawled over to her slowly, hand outstretched and shushed her, speaking gentle words to her in Sokovian. Claire stopped freaking out and looked at Wanda, listening to her, watching her as she got closer.

When Wanda was as close as she could get, she once again moved her hands onto Claire’s. She didn’t pull away like the first time, and her claws retracted at Wanda’s touch. Claire let out a scared whimper as the fear of hurting Wanda flooded through her. Wanda gently ran her fingers over the soft skin of the pads on her paws, tracing delicate and soothing patterns. She moved her eyes up and looked into Claire’s fearful ones and gave her a small smile.

Claire had long made peace with her wolf and the two of them, for the most part, were on the same page. But there were times when the severity of her wolf’s primal nature terrified her, and it usually came about when Claire was losing the battle for control, in which her panic only sped up the change. Wanda knew this—along with a chosen few which included Bucky, Jemma, and Natasha—and had practically perfected the easiest way to calm her and her wolf down.

She adopted the Avengers’ “lullaby method” that they used on Bruce whenever he “Hulked out”, and simply adapted it to what calmed Claire down, which consisted of Wanda physically touching her.

So, she continued tracing on the pads of Claire’s paws, trailing her fingers down to her wrists and up to the tips of her little toes. Claire slowed down her breathing at the soothing touch and breathed deeply. Before long, her paws transformed back into Claire’s hands and Wanda moved her touch up her arm. When Claire wasn’t as skittish, Wanda slowly moved to sit in her lap. She moved her hands over her shoulders and massaged them, working out the tense knots. Claire groaned and wrapped her arms around her back, burying her face into Wanda’s hair.

After several minutes, Claire was completely calm and her eyes had returned to their normal color. She continued to sit on the floor, holing Wanda against her, sobbing. She always hated it when she allowed herself to get so worked up that she either almost shifts accidentally, or does it, resulting in her wolf taking full control and Claire blacking out with no memory of what happened. That hatred only grew deeper after she met Wanda and they started dating because she then began to fear for her safety.

Wanda held her tightly as she cried into her shoulder, rubbing her back and speaking to her in Sokovian.

“It’s okay, љубав (love). Волим те. Сте безбедни. У реду је (I love you. You’re safe. It’s okay),” Wanda cooed in her ear, placing a kiss on her head. Claire picked her head up and looked at Wanda, anger filling her.

“I’m a monster,” Claire growled as her paws reappeared and moved to her face, trying to claw at the skin. Wanda’s hands flew up and grasped her paws, trying to pull them away from her face.

_“Yes, this one is ready.” _Claire gasped and growled as Strucker’s voice popped up in her head.

_“Shock her again. And don’t stop until you have results.”_

_“You are nothing. Worthless. You are an instrument made to bring forth HYDRA’s vision, nothing more.”_

_“Again! You’re holding back! Unleash the beast.”_

_“Make sure to lock it up tight. We don’t want it getting out.”_

_“Show no mercy!”_

Claire suddenly stood up from the floor, knocking Wanda off her and stumbled around the room. Black fur sprouted in patches on her skin and her hands grasped her face. She growled in pain and roared in anger as she fought the change though her wolf clashed against her for dominance. If Wanda hadn’t been in the room, her wolf would’ve won, but Claire was determined to not shift in front of Wanda. Her clothes ripped as her forearms changed into the arms of her wolf. Her bones painfully broke and repositioned themselves, changing from her wolf structure to her human one, confused as to what to do, leaving Claire in immense pain.

Wanda sat against the wall frozen, half from fear and half from having no idea how to help her now. Claire always warned Wanda that if she was ever shifting—accidental or otherwise—to stay out of the way. Frantic, she looked over at Claire’s bedside table. She crawled over to it and opened the drawer, praying that Claire had something in there to help her. Her prayers were answered when she pulled out a small glass bottle and an individually packaged syringe. Reading the label, Wanda understood that it was a sedative, and remembered Claire once telling her that she kept it in case she lost control. Wanda gulped and opened the package, taking the syringe out, pierced the needle through the lid of the sedative, and once it was full, stood up and slowly advanced towards Claire’s struggling body.

She was once again on the floor, twitching and writhing in pain as she continued to fight. She looked up at Wanda’s stalking figure, and seeing the syringe, her eyes held a pleading look. Tears formed in Wanda’s eyes as she knelt down in front of Claire’s face. She lightly caressed her furry cheek and whispered an apology as she pierced her skin with the syringe, pushing down on it to expel the sedative into Claire’s body. Within moments, Claire’s groaning ceased and was replaced with a small whimper and whines. Claire’s body shifted back and she slipped from consciousness. Wanda leaned her head against Claire’s sleeping body and cried, her body shaking from fear.

She wasn’t afraid of Claire or her wolf—something that Claire was grateful for—but sometimes the things her wolf did scared her. And watching her wolf tear Claire apart for dominance, that scared her the most. Wanda curled up on the floor against her and willed herself to go to sleep. She would call out of work tomorrow and spend the day with Claire, making sure that she was calm and relaxed.


	45. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda helps Claire with her stress and gives her some much needed advice.

The rest of the night was long and restless as Wanda laid on the cold hardwood floor against Claire’s sleeping body. Wanda would doze off, but inevitably would wake up with a start at seeing Claire’s out of control wolf staring at her with glowing purple eyes, and when it happened, she would spend an even longer time making sure that Claire was alright whenever she stirred or growled quietly in her sleep.

Eventually, though, the sun rose and the light morning rays of sunshine drifted into the apartment. A yawn escaped Wanda’s lips as she stood up from the floor, stretched her back to work out the stiffness that came about from sleeping on the floor, draped a blanket over Claire, and headed into the kitchen to make breakfast. Walking into the kitchen, she unlocked her phone and dialed the number of Josh, the store manager. Her shift didn’t start for a few hours, but she found it courteous to call ahead to give Josh some time to find someone to take her place. She explained her situation—calling with the excuse that she was sick—and Josh understood, letting her take the day and hung up. Part of Wanda was guilty for lying to her boss, but she couldn’t exactly tell him that her werewolf girlfriend had a mental breakdown early that morning, now could she?

She pulled the phone away from her ear and opened her music library, selecting the playlist that she uses to relax, and locked her phone, placing it on the counter as soft classical music filled the quiet kitchen. She walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a large frying pan and placed it on the stove before walking to the fridge and pulling out a carton of eggs, a pack of bacon, cheese, and butter. Wanda turned on the stove and as the pan heated up, she cut a small piece of butter and dropped it into the pan to grease it. Grabbing a bowl, Wanda started prepping the eggs while the pan got hot. When she finished prepping and the pan was hot enough, she poured the beaten eggs into the pan. A loud sizzle filled the air, covering up the sound of the music for a minute, and as the eggs cooked, she took out another smaller pan and placed it on the stove next to the eggs. She turned on the second burner, greased the pan, and opened the pack of bacon and started placing the strips into the pan.

The eggs were done soon, and when they were finished, she dumped them out of the pan and onto a large plate which she moved to the table. Still waiting for the bacon to finish, she made some toast and a cup of coffee for Claire. The bacon finished cooking right around the time that the coffee finished, and doing what she did with the eggs, Wanda plated the bacon and placed it on the table next to the eggs and toast. She poured the coffee into Claire’s favorite mug and put it down in front of where Claire usually sat. Looking everything over, Wanda moved to grab two plates, two forks, and a cup of orange juice for herself, and set the table.

Claire’s nose perked up at the smell of food, pulling her out of her deep sleep. She opened her heavy eyes and groaned at the pressure building up in her head. Carefully, she stood up, groaning again at the ache in her back, and walked to the kitchen, following the delicious scent of food. Wanda had her back turned to her when she entered the kitchen, and as she looked at the table, seeing the food, she let out a quiet sigh as she continued walking up behind Wanda, hugging her from behind.

Wanda flinched at the sudden contact, but soon relaxed and smiled as Claire’s warmth spread through her. Claire rested her cheek against the top of Wanda’s back, right at the base of her neck and sniffled, inhaling her scent to calm down.

“I’m so sorry about last night,” Claire muttered as she tightened her grip on Wanda, afraid that she was angry with her, or worse, afraid. Wanda’s smile faded into a sad frown as she turned in Claire’s hold, facing her and touching a hand to her cheek.

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pressed you to talk if you didn’t want to.”

“I should’ve told you from the beginning. I never should have let all that bottle up like that.” Claire sent her a little smile. “Besides, despite what happened, I feel much better after talking to you.” She closed her eyes and trailed her nose across Wanda’s face before kissing her.

“I’m glad you feel better. I was really worried about you last night,” Wanda said pulling out of her arms to finish setting the table.

“I hope I didn’t scare you,” Claire mumbled apologetically with a hint of sadness. Wanda paused and looked back over to her. Shame was painted on Claire’s beautiful face and she sighed. Moving back over to her, she pressed her lips against Claire’s taking her aback.

“If I was afraid of you, would I do that?” she asked, smirking at her as she pulled away. Claire grinned a goofy grin as a small tear rolled down her face.

“I guess not.”

“Come on, the food’s getting cold.”

The two of them sat at the table and started eating the meal that Wanda prepared and Claire praised her the whole time, causing her face to become flushed. Once they finished eating, to thank Wanda for cooking breakfast, she did the dishes and argued with Wanda after every move she made.

“Claire, come one, just let me help,” Wanda whined as Claire pushed her away from the sink.

“No. You made breakfast, so I do the dishes. It’s only fair.”

“I can handle it. I want you to relax.” Claire chuckled and flicked a little bit of water and soap at her.

“Believe it or not, Little Red, washing dishes does relax me,” Claire said turning back to the soaking pan and starting to scrub it. Wanda huffed and sat up on the counter next to her. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Claire continued to scrub the dirty dishes and Wanda tied her long hair into a messy bun. She looked over at Claire, hearing her humming to herself and bit her bottom lip nervously. Ever since Claire told her how much she hated her job, one question was burning a hole in her mind, and she wanted to ask, but was afraid to set Claire off again. Sighing, she figured she’d just ask it and get it over with.

“Claire?” she asked, bringing her left thumb up to her mouth and biting down on her nail.

“Hmm?” Claire hummed as she continued to wash the dishes in the sink, not looking up at Wanda and pausing the song she was humming.

“Can I ask you something?” Claire paused and looked over at her.

“Of course, baby girl. You can ask me anything,” she said, caressing her cheek with her soapy hand, causing a small giggle to come from Wanda. She quickly turned serious again as the question came back into focus.

“I…I just want you to know, that I don’t mean to upset you by asking this,” Wanda prefaced, taking a brief pause.

Claire froze and looked at Wanda with sadness in her eyes. Whatever Wanda wanted to talk about, she knew it was serious, and she was guilty that Wanda was worried and afraid of upsetting her. She grabbed the dish towel next to her and dried her hands before she stepped away from the sink and over to Wanda. She rested her hands on Wanda’s thighs and looked up at her, giving her a small smile as she leaned in and planted a kiss on her nose.

“Wanda, you don’t have to be afraid to talk to me. You don’t have to be afraid of upsetting me, I could never get upset with you.” Claire’s eyes softened, pain flashing through them briefly. “Last night…I shouldn’t have lost my cool like that, and that’s on _me_, Wanda; not you. Please don’t be afraid of me, baby.” Claire couldn’t help the desperate whisper that came out at the end.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Wanda said, her hands flying up to entwine her fingers in Claire’s messy hair.

“What did you want to ask me?”

“You said you hated your job and gave very worthy reasons as to why. I guess…If you hate it so much, why don’t you just quit?” Claire sighed and leaned her head down. “Clearly this environment isn’t good for you or your wolf, and after you told me about your supervisor…I’m worried Claire. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Honestly, I thought heavily about quitting, but despite my practical slavery, it’s a good paying job and we need the money, Wanda. I can afford to be selfish. We don’t always get our dream jobs, and sometimes, we have to endure.”

“But at the sake of your sanity? Your mental health? Your safety? No, it’s not worth it. You taking care of yourself and doing what’s right for you isn’t selfish, Claire. It’s important.” Claire leaned her head down into Wanda’s lap, closing her eyes as Wanda ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m very worried about you, baby. Last night…I’ve never seen you like that; that bottled up anger isn’t good for you, and I think you need to find another job. Forget about a paycheck, don’t worry about it, we’re fine, love; worry about yourself, _please_. I…I don’t want to lose you.”

Claire moved her hands from Wanda’s thighs and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her into an awkward hug. Wanda in response wrapped her legs around Claire and scooted off the countertop, allowing Claire’s arms to come around her back, holding her. Claire walked them out of the kitchen and back into their bedroom, flopping them both on the bed. Wanda’s loud giggles echoed in the room, causing a large smile to take up Claire’s face. She gently pressed Wanda down into the pillows as she kissed every inch of her face and neck, spending extra time at the spot behind her ear. Pulling away, Claire returned to Wanda’s lips and passionately kissed once more.

Breaking the kiss, she leaned back in the bed and pulled Wanda’s hair from her bun, freeing her orange locks. They fell down her shoulder in waves and some choice strands delicately framed her face. The late morning sun drifted in through the windows and set the light color ablaze, creating a gently fire as the golden light illuminated behind Wanda’s head, igniting every strand of her hair. Claire marveled at the colors that laid in each strand; dark and caramel browns mixed with vibrant reds and soft yellows, creating the beautiful color that now took residence in her hair.

“What is it?” Wanda asked, her hand trailing against the soft skin of Claire’s arm.

“I’m just thinking.”

“Uh-oh. What are you thinking about?” Claire’s face eased into a soft smile.

“Firstly, rude,” she said and Wanda giggled, “and secondly, I’m thinking about how beautiful you are. My God, Wanda, you really are the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Wanda brought her hand up to Claire’s cheek.

“Well, that’s a lie, because _you _are the most beautiful woman in the world.”

_“Even with my scar?” _Claire asked through their mental connection, not trusting her voice to say it out loud. Wanda moved her other hand and awkwardly cupped Claire’s other cheek, running her thumb across Claire’s scar, feeling the raised bumps of each individual claw mark. Claire blinked, flinching a little at the soft contact; she wasn’t used to anyone touching the sensitive skin.

“Even with your scar. Your beauty goes beyond your physical appearance, Claire, just as it goes beyond mine. You are not defined by your scar.”

Claire opened her mouth to say something, but then remembered their earlier conversation. She sighed and thought back on her job. It really wasn’t good for her (and anyone else, for that matter), but could she really just quit? Should she hold out a little longer while she tried to find another job to fall back on? It was smarter to have another job lined up when you planned on quitting your job right? Did she really have to wait two weeks until she left? Could she handle two more weeks of Brad? She shuddered at the thought of him.

“I’ll think more about quitting and I’ll do some research into other job positions. Hopefully I can find another job, soon that way when I quit I’m not out of work for long. But, until I find something, I’ll stay where I am and put up with all the bullshit.”

“And don’t forget, I want you to tell me _everything _that happens, okay? It’ll make you feel better and I want to help you. I don’t like the idea of you bottling your emotions up, Claire. It’s not healthy.”

“I know, baby. I’m sorry,” Claire whispered. “Hey what time is it? Shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?”

“I took off today. I wanted to spend the day with you to help you relax after last night,” Wanda said with a small smile. Claire leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“So, what did you have in mind to help me relax?” Claire asked wiggling her eyebrows and throwing Wanda a mischievous grin.

“Whatever you want, baby.”

“_Anything _I want?” Claire asked again, still wiggling her eyebrows. Wanda sighed and rolled her eyes before she started laughing.

“Really? _That _of _all_ things?”

“Hey, you said ‘whatever you want’,” Claire said raising her hands in defense. “It was just natural for me to assume that _that_ was on the table.” Wanda rolled her eyes again and rolled over in the bed on top of Claire and kissed her.

“You’re an asshole, you know that, right?”

“But I’m a loveable asshole. Completely different class of asshole.”

“Whatever you say, dear.”


	46. What's This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda finds Blackout's number and convinces Claire to get in touch.

Within the following weeks, things went back to normal for the young couple. Claire went back to her job and by the end of the first week, handed in her two weeks’ notice, deciding it was better for everyone and not just herself if she removed herself from Brad’s person.

After hearing of her struggle to find a new job that paid well, Tony Stark made her an offer she couldn’t refuse and asked her to work at Stark Industries. She tried to refuse his offer, doing her best to keep her dislike for Tony out of her decision-making, and even went to Wanda and Jemma for outside counsel and advice, but ultimately she accepted. Like her old job, she was only a secretary for Tony (which she was 90% sure that he made the position up just to take her) and in her free time took classes online provided by a local high school to help her work towards her GED. Though she never thought she’d say it, she missed being in school. She had missed so much while she was stuck being experimented on in Sokovia, and she was glad that she had the chance to return to some normalcy of her former life, regardless of the fact that she was a few years too late.

Wanda smiled at Claire as she sat at the other end of the table in front of her laptop with textbooks and notebooks sprawled out and open. Five different colored highlighters sat uncapped in different books and Claire chewed furiously on the cap of a blue pen as she tried to concentrate on her assignments. Wanda took a sip from her cup of tea and returned her attention to her own book and continued studying. Once they had settled into their apartment, Steve carefully reminded them that Wanda still wasn’t a citizen and said that it would be in their best interest if she applied for citizenship.

The material wasn’t particularly difficult for her to understand, but it was just…a lot. She wasn’t yet eligible to apply for citizenship, but she figured she’d get a head start on the studying so when the time came, it would be easier for her to understand it. Claire was a big help and often helped her study and took time out of her schedule to practically homeschool her. Wanda never really had any formal schooling in Sokovia before her parents died, and after they did, she and Pietro lived on the streets. She knew basic math and grammar, but that was the limitations on her knowledge, but she prided herself on being “very street smart, resourceful in survival situations, and having above average common sense” (her words). 

Claire let out a loud groan as she laid her head down dramatically on her open textbook. Wanda rolled her eyes, laughing at Claire. Every so often, Claire would “die of boredom” which screamed at Wanda to help stimulate her interests to get her working again. Claire was very smart—much smarter than she let on—and whenever she got bored with her work, Wanda would think that it was because it wasn’t challenging enough for her.

“Wanda!” Claire said into her book, drawing out her name in an annoying whine.

“What is it, Claire?” Wanda asked, trying to continue studying.

“I’m bored.” Wanda looked over at the other end of the table, meeting Claire’s eyes and closed her book of U.S. history. She pointed the cover over towards her and raised a brow.

“Wanna trade?”

Claire groaned again, defeated and lifted her head and stared at her computer screen.

“It’s so boring, Wanda! Help me!”

“What are you working on now?” Wanda asked. She sat the book on the table and got up and moved to the seat next to her, pulling her laptop over so she could read the screen.

“Stupid math.” 

“Claire, you’re good at math,” Wanda said looking over at her and back to the screen, studying the algebra equations. “You know this already. What’s the problem?”

“_That’s _the problem. I know all of this stuff already! Why do I have to learn it again?” Claire gestured to the books around her and rested her hand on her cheek and frowned. Wanda sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I know you’re frustrated, baby, but just think; they wouldn’t tell you to study it if they didn’t think it was important. You _need _to know it, and there’s nothing wrong with a refresher.”

“It’s not important, Wanda. It’s redundant and unnecessary. Like listen to this problem: 3x+4=2x+6? Literally, when will I _ever _use this?”

“But you know how to solve that.”

“It’s not the point, Wanda,” Claire whined again. Wanda laughed and stood up and walked behind Claire. She rested her hands on her shoulders and started rubbing them. “It’s the fact that I won’t need to know this in my life. There’s no circumstance that I’ll find myself in where I would need to know that the answer is x=2.”

“Why don’t you take a break for today? We can order pizza and watch a movie?” Wanda asked, laying her head on Claire’s shoulder and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

“Yes, please!” Claire exclaimed jumping from her seat and closing out of her assignment and shutting down her laptop. Wanda giggled as she helped Claire close and gather her textbooks, notes, and highlighters and stack them up in a neat pile on the counter. Wanda’s giggling grew louder when Claire quickly grabbed Wanda by the waist and placed sloppy kisses along her face and neck, ending at her lips. Wanda melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Claire’s neck. Claire pulled away too quickly, much to Wanda’s disliking, and ran into the kitchen, grabbing the menu for _Marco’s Pizza_ and dialing the number.

“What kind of pizza do you want?” she asked before she pressed the green button to make the call.

“Just get the usual,” Wanda said. Claire nodded and made the call.

While Claire ordered the pizza, Wanda walked into their bedroom and grabbed a few pillows and Claire’s weighted blanket that Bucky dropped over the week before and carried them into the living room and to the couch. By now they had an actual TV, courtesy of Jemma after she bought a new one, and while they liked snuggling on the couch, watching off Claire’s laptop, they were so glad to finally have their own TV.

Wanda turned the TV on and searched through a pile of movies they had on DVD that they got from friends, flea markets, yard sales, and clearance racks, looking for something lighthearted and funny. Claire came over to her and helped her look through the different movies.

“What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking maybe a comedy. I’m kind of tired and don’t really want to pay attention to something heavy,” Wanda said. Claire nodded and discarded all the action and dramatic movies, and she smiled when her fingers grasped a favorite of hers: _Ferris Bueller’s Day Off_. She cleared her throat and handed the box to Wanda, who smiled also and opened the box and put the DVD into the old VCR—which they also found at a flea market.

The pizza came about half an hour later, and the two spent the rest of the day eating and watching movies. When night fell, they turned off the TV and entered their room. Wanda walked over to their shared closet and took out her uniform and hung it up against the outside of the closet door so it would be ready for her tomorrow. As she took her uniform out, her hand brushed against the pocket of one of Claire’s old hoodies and she frowned curiously when she felt the hardness of a small object. Hanging her uniform, she reached into the pocket and pulled out a small old flip-phone that was so out of date that it could only be considered a burner phone. She turned the small device in her hand, studying its purpose in relation to Claire.

Wanda assumed that since it was pushed into the pocket of a sweatshirt that Claire hadn’t worn ever (since she met her), the redhead had completely forgotten about it. She held it up and turned to Claire who was lounging in the bed, ready to fall asleep.

“Hey, what’s this?” Claire looked over and her eyes went wide as she catapulted out of the bed and grabbed the phone from Wanda’s hand, studying it also.

“I haven’t seen this in so long,” Claire muttered to herself as she turned it on. It still had a full charge surprisingly. She opened her contacts and stared at the only name and number listed: _Blackout_. Wanda peeked over her shoulder and smirked.

“So who’s Blackout? An old girlfriend, maybe?” Claire froze and looked at her. A light blush rose to her cheeks.

“N-no, she wasn’t—we never—I only saw her once, a few years ago. I helped her with…an issue over in Hell’s Kitchen. She’s just a friend. If you can call her that.”

“Have you been in touch with her since?”

“No. Almost immediately after I met her, all the shit with the Avengers and Bucky happened. I only had time to buy this and input her number into it. I gotta admit, I kinda forgot about her with everything happening. I wonder how she’s doing.”

Wanda placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder and smiled.

“So, why don’t you call her?” Claire snapped her head and looked at Wanda. She became flustered again and a light sweat broke out against her forehead.

“C-Call her? I-I-I can’t _call _her! Are you insane? She probably doesn’t even remember me. And besides, I don’t want to make you feel weird and have you get jealous.”

Wanda folded her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

“When have I _ever _gotten jealous? And you don’t know that she doesn’t remember you and you won’t know unless you call her.” Claire stared back at the phone, debating her options. “What if she’s been wanting you to call and waited all this time? Just call her Claire. What’s the worst thing that could happen if you did?”

Claire didn’t have an answer. Nothing terribly bad would happen if she called and Blackout didn’t remember her, and if she was honest, she wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. She did a very poor job keeping contact with her, and for that she felt guilty. What if she hurt Blackout’s feelings by not calling? Despite her sometimes cold exterior, Claire was very sensitive when it came to the feelings of people she liked and was close to. She sighed and turned the phone off and placed it on her bedside table.

“I’ll give her a call tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll have more confidence after some sleep.”

Wanda smiled and gave her a kiss before the both of them got into bed, turned out the light, and went to sleep. Wanda fell asleep much faster and easier than Claire, who stayed awake a few hours agonizing over making this call. She didn’t understand why it was stressing her out so much, but yet, here she was, laying awake at 4:00am thinking of all the possible things that could go wrong with calling her old vigilante friend.

_“God, what the fuck is wrong with you? It’s just a phone call! To say hi and catch up! It’s not that deep! Stop being a fucking coward. You always do this; you always overreact and overthink everything. You’ve faced scarier things than making a phone call. Remember fucking Thanos? That guy was _much _scarier than this. Us almost dying was much scarier than this. Stop being a coward.”_

Claire sighed softly and shut her mental link with her wolf and rolled over, draping an arm over Wanda stomach. She watched as Wanda let out a sleepy groan as her hand grabbed Claire’s. She smiled and closed her eyes, finally feeling sleep come to her.


	47. Blackout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Wanda meet Blackout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See end for notes.

Claire woke up with a start and an empty bed. She looked around the quiet room and turned on her phone that was charging on her bedside table and groaned at the time: 12:30pm. Wanda was already at work and at this point, she was glad that Tony had given her the day off so he could meet with the other Avengers and representatives of the government to talk about amending the Accords.

She crawled out of bed, took a 20-minute shower, got herself ready and dressed, and headed up a piece of leftover pizza for lunch and headed back into her room. She was bored and her wolf was whining and begging to be let out, but she didn’t feel like going for a run—which to be fair, she never did. Looking around for something to do, her eyes landed on her burner phone and anxiety filled her as she remembered what she was supposed to do. She sighed and grabbed the device, turned it on, and opened her contacts. She sat on the edge of the bed, still holding the phone, and stared at the number as her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

After a few minutes, she took a deep breath, gathering what little courage she had left, and clicked on the number, the phone dialing. She pressed the small brick to her ear, and listened to it ring, and with each ring, she tried to convince herself that this was a mistake but before she could hang up, a gruff voice answers the phone.

_“Who is this?”_

“Uh…who is this?”

_“Don’t worry about who this is, now answer the question. Who are you and how did you get this number?” _the man asked, growling at her. Claire cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the slight waver, before she answered him.

“I’m Claire and I’m looking for Blackout.” The man on the other end paused a bit before speaking to her again, this time, more aggressive.

_“What the hell do you want with Blackout?” _Before Claire could answer, there was another voice in the background, a female voice, and she could hear the muffled sounds of shuffling and things moving, probably the phone.

_“Hello?” _The woman’s voice came through the speakers. Claire gulped.

“Uh…hi, I’m looking for Blackout?”

_“Speaking. How can I help you?”_ Claire couldn’t believe it; she was talking to Blackout. She began to wonder if the young hero even remembered her and if this was a fool’s errand. She didn’t realize how long she was quite before Blackout’s voice came through the phone again saying, _“Hello? Are you still there?”_

“Uh…yeah, sorry. I’m just…I don’t know if you remember me, and it’s okay if you don’t, I know it’s been a while and you’ve probably been busy; I know I have—” she was rambling and she felt her wolf kick her for being so completely hopeless. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling. It’s me…Claire. Again not sure if you remember me, but I was there with guy in Hell’s Kitchen that kinda looked like a cheap version of Iron Ma—”

_“Claire?” _There was a long pause before she shrieked into the phone. _“Holy shit don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t believe you’re still alive! You’ve got a death wish that surpasses my boyfriend’s and that’s really saying something. Jesus Christ, I can’t believe that I’m hearing your voice right now. How are you? I saw something on the news about a shapeshifter fighting with the Avengers against that Thanos…guy…thing. Was that you?”_

“Heh…ye-yeah, that was me.” Claire cleared her throat. “Anyways, I’m fine, I’m back in New York; for good this time.” She hoped that Blackout would take the hint and allow her to change the subject.

_“Really? That’s good. Guess you couldn’t stay away, huh?”_

Claire sighed at the change in subject and smiled a little as she looked over at a framed picture of her and Wanda. It was them in their costumes on Halloween two years ago on their first date. Looking at the picture, she felt herself relax.

“Yeah, I guess I couldn’t. But forget about me, how’s vigilante life? You haven’t gotten into too much trouble without me have you?” She heard Blackout let out a little laugh at her question.

_“Well, Purple Eyes, I haven’t died yet, if that’s what you mean.”_

“You’re seriously gonna keep calling me ‘Purple Eyes’? After all this time, you couldn’t come up with something better?” Claire laughed.

_“I’m taking a page out of your book, Claire; from now own, my nicknames stick.” _Claire chuckled and shook her head, slightly wishing for something a little better than “Purple Eyes” as a nickname, but she jumped a little when Blackout screamed out. _“Peter Parker, get off the ceiling before I electrocute your ass!”_

“Peter? You know Peter?” _Huh. Small world._

_“Yeah. He’s a little asshole, but—wait. How do you know Peter?”_

“We…uh…I met him I Germany.” Blackout was silent for a little while and Claire wasn’t sure what was happening.

_“Germany?” _She was silent again, thinking, then it hit her. _“You mean that shit with the Avengers? Peter told me about some wolf that chased him around, that was you?!”_

Claire scratched the back of her head and chuckled a little, feeling nervous.

“In my defense, he hit me first. And he went after my best friend.” She heard Blackout sigh heavily on her end of the phone, like she was trying to swallow her anger.

_“You know I should shock you right now for that, right?”_

“You can’t shock me through the phone. Right?”

_“Why don’t we find out.” _Claire waited for the bolt of electricity, but relaxed when it never came. Once more, Blackout sighed. _“Alright Parker, I won’t do anything. Hey, listen Claire, since you’re back in New York, it might be nice to get to know the local heroes.”_

“What happened to keeping me off the radar?” Claire asked smirking. Blackout chuckled at her.

_“Considering the fact that you went up against an alien and his army a few weeks ago, I don’t think you have to worry about getting on anyone’s radar.”_

“I’d love to come down. You’re still in Hell’s Kitchen?”

_“Yeah! When are you free?”_

“Well, I have to work the rest of the week, but I’m off Saturday?” Shuffling could be heard through the phone as Blackout moved about whatever room she was in. She could hear Peter talking to her in the background, though she didn’t answer him.

_“Saturday should be good for me, but I’ll let you know if something comes up. Do you want me to contact you with this number?”_

For the first time since she started talking, she remembered that she was talking on her burner phone and not her actual phone.

“Uh…let me give you my actual number,” she said after a second.

_“Oh, I already have it,” _Blackout said though Claire cut her off.

“Yeah, I got a knew phone a while ago and didn’t keep the number.” Blackout let out a noise of understanding and Claire gave her the new number, pausing after each set of three numbers to make sure that the vigilante was keeping up.

_“Alright, well, I’ll text or call you with the details.”_

Claire was about to end their call, but suddenly remembered something she wanted to ask Blackout.

“Oh, hey Blackout, before you hang up, I had a question.”

_“Shoot.”_

“I know you’re all about your secret identity, and this will probably sound weird, but do you mind if I bring a plus one? I know someone that I think would love to meet you.”

Blackout thought about this for a minute before answering Claire with a yes, and the two said their goodbyes, and hung up. Claire pulled the phone from her ear and sighed, placing it on the bed. Her actual phone buzzed with a notification for a text, and when Claire looked at it, she smiled. Blackout sent her a text saying, _Can’t wait until Saturday_.

○○○

That night, when Wanda came home from work and after they ate dinner, Claire explained the plan to meet up with Blackout, beaming and jumping with excitement. Wanda giggled at her and marveled at the fact that someone somewhere messed up when giving Claire her powers. There was _no way_ she was a wolf because she was definitely a golden retriever; a lovable loyal ball of energy and love (the perfect definition of Claire on a good day).

“So, where are we meeting?” Wanda asked as she took the plate that Claire handed her and dried it with the dishtowel in her hand.

“It’s not decided yet, but she said she’d text or call with details,” Claire said as she finished cleaning another plate and handed it to Wanda, starting another one. Wanda nodded and sent her a small smirk.

“So, I’m guessing by the size of your smile, the call went well.” Claire paused and Wanda laughed. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. You’re just…really excited.” She placed a kiss on Claire’s stunned face, snapping her out of her trance, and Claire smiled.

“I’m glad that I get to see her again. And I’m especially glad that you get to meet her. I think you’ll like her.” Wanda smirked as Claire looked at her, and as if she read her mind, she frowned and added, “Though I hope you don’t like her too much. I’d hate to lose a friend over you.”

She dropped the plate that she was cleaning into the sink and took her wet hands and grabbed Wanda, wrapping them around her waist, soaking her shirt, and placed a series of kisses against her face. Wanda squealed in surprise as Claire lunged at her and the cold water hit her skin. She laughed loudly as Claire’s hair tickled her skin.

Wanda turned around in her hold and lightly pushed her away.

“If you don’t stop, we’ll never finish the dishes.”

“Why do we even need to finish?” Claire asked, her voice slightly lower than usual. Wanda grinned and smacked her playfully with the damp dishtowel.

“Because we have no clean spoons and I had to eat my cereal this morning with a fork.” Claire handed her another plate and she dried it. Claire ran a hand through her hair as she took a deep breath.

“Yeah, but I had an idea of doing something more fun.” Wanda turned and looked at her and gave her a mischievous grin.

“Oh, I’m well aware of your ‘fun idea’. Believe me, you’re not the first person to come up with that, but we need to do this, Claire.”

Claire groaned, but smiled at Wanda when she shot her a look.

“Fine. I’ll do the dishes now. But can we do what I wanted later?” She wiggled her eyebrows as she begged.

“Maybe.”

○○○

Saturday rolled around faster than Claire expected, and her and Wanda left their apartment at noon and took the designated subway all the way into Hell’s Kitchen. They got off the subway and walked the few blocks to the little mom and pop coffee shop that Blackout told her about.

It was relatively empty, with only a few people scattered around in seats drinking their beverages and typing away on laptops and phones or reading from large packets of papers. Claire walked in first, with Wanda following behind her and her eyes scanned the crowd. She didn’t see anyone that looked vaguely familiar, and Claire began to wonder if Blackout was even here yet. She figured that she’d know her when she saw her and directed Wanda over to a booth to wait for her, but a voice stopped her and pulled her attention to the back of the shop where a woman with curly black hair waved her over. Claire pulled Wanda along, sensing her slight discomfort, and ran her thumb across her palm. She knew that Wanda didn’t do well with meeting new people, but she was grateful that Wanda tried to swallow that fear for today and trust Claire.

Claire walked them over the large booth where the woman sat with a man sitting opposite her with brown hair who didn’t move as they got closer to the table, Peter next to the man who was smiling happily when he saw Claire which caused her to smile too, and an unknown Hispanic teenager that sat next to the woman with short black hair. Even though they were sitting, Claire could tell that they weren’t very tall. The teenager smiled brightly at them, almost matching Peter’s in intensity, and waved. Wanda was standing behind Claire, using her as a shield, but poked her head out and waved back with a small smile. As they reached the booth, Peter got up and hugged Claire and she ruffled his hair as he pulled away. Wanda relaxed a little at seeing someone she recognized, but still stood close to Claire.

The woman stood up next and took the few steps closer to Claire, holding out her hand to shake. She had a playful smirk on her face, which Claire reciprocated.

“Hey, Claire,” she said.

“Blackout,” she said in a hushed voice, not wanting to draw any attention to them. “It’s good to finally see you.”

“You can call me Michaela.” She looked behind Claire and over to Wanda who was watching her intently. Michaela turned her smirk into a smile as she gazed at the Scarlet Witch, recognition in her eyes.

“I thought I recognized you,” she said pointing in her direction. Wanda’s expression remained unfazed. “It’s Wanda, right? Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand and Wanda relaxed and shook it, offering her a small smile.

Peter moved to sit next to Michaela while Claire and Wanda sat opposite her and next to the man that still hadn’t moved to acknowledge them. Michaela pointed at him and smiled, almost reading Wanda’s silent question.

“That’s Matt. Don’t worry, he’s not being rude.” Now that they were next to him, they noticed the large dark red glasses and cane. Before they could say anything, he gave them a smile and a wave.

“Hey.” Claire immediately recognized the voice as the guy that spoke to her on the phone the other day. Matt turned his head towards Claire. “I’m sorry about the other day. That was very rude of me, but I hope that you understand that in our line of work, one can never be too careful.”

“Yeah no, I get it,” Claire said waving him off. He smiled again and turned back to face Michaela.

“And who are you?” Wanda asked as she smiled, addressing the teenager bouncing in their seat next to Michaela.

“I’m Bailey Flores,” they said, beaming. “But just call me Bailey. I’m Blackout’s sidekick.”

“Oh really?” Claire asked grinning at Michaela. “I didn’t know you were looking for a sidekick.”

“I wasn’t really looking, but I found Bailey anyway,” Michaela said smiling at Bailey.

“Do you have any powers Bailey?” Wanda asked, her heart warming as Bailey’s smile grew. Bailey nodded and they raised their hand up towards the light in the ceiling, pulling some light down as if it were a liquid, and hardening it into a sharp dagger. Claire and Wanda sat in awe. Claire reached forward to touch the dagger, but Bailey pulled it away and wagged their finger at her, clicking their tongue and shaking their head. Claire giggled and Wanda smiled.

“So, Michaela, Claire never told me how you two know each other. Care to shed some light on how you became friends?” Wanda asked, another mischievous grin on her face. Claire froze at the tone of Wanda’s voice and wondered what she had planned. Michaela smiled and began to regal the table with the story of how they met.

“So, it’s pretty much a long story, and I don’t want to bore you with the details, but essentially, there was this capital A asshole who decided to terrorize Hell’s Kitchen to get Tony Stark’s attention and he busted me up pretty bad, but luckily Claire was there to lend a hand.” Claire looked down as she tried to not smile. Michaela took a pause, laughed a little and continued saying to Claire, “You know, I was pretty heartbroken when you didn’t call me to set up our date.”

Claire’s head snapped up to look at Michaela and the smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown made up of confusion and fear. Wanda cocked her head to the side, staring at Claire, with a smirk. Claire looked between Michaela and Wanda with wide eyes and a bright red blush creeping up on her face.

“Date? What date?” Wanda asked as she looked at Claire, a small hint of jealousy slipping into her voice. “You told me you two were just friends.” Michaela let out a loud gasp and clutched her hand to her chest. Matt next to them shook his head and turned it towards Claire.

“She cried for weeks; you know.” Wanda’s stare became more intense as Claire stammered an explanation, sweat forming on her forehead. Michaela looked over at Claire with hurt in her eyes.

“I thought we had something, Claire. Something _special_!” Claire looked over at Wanda, her eyes wide.

“Wanda, I swear, this was not how I interpreted this—” Wanda held up her hands and looked away.

“Look, Claire, I don’t care if you dated before me, honestly I don’t, but you didn’t have to lie about what she meant to you. That’s where I draw the line.” Claire was about to reply to her, when Michaela beat her to it.

“When you saved my life you stole my heart, Claire!” This brought Wanda’s attention back, and she snapped her head to look at Claire, jealousy burning in her now dark red eyes.

“So, you saved her life, huh? You never mentioned that. You just said you helped. What, do you go around saving the lives of _every _girl you have a little crush one?” Claire’s mouth flopped open, but Wanda didn’t let her speak. “How many have there been before me, Claire? Huh? How many girls’ lives have you saved before you came to me?”

“Wanda, this isn’t an occurrence for me. I only helped her because she needed it. She would’ve been killed if I hadn’t.”

“And what’s your reasons for saving me?” Claire’s blush darkened and spread to her ears and down her neck. Peter looked past Michaela and over at Bailey, blushing too at the tension.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal. She needed help, and I was there and could help, so I did. End of story,” Claire said as she tried to calm Wanda down. Matt bit his lip and brought a hand to cover his mouth to hide his laughter at the situation, mentally cursing Michaela for fanning the flames. Michaela looked at Wanda and started speaking again.

“You know, Wanda, it was _so intense_. I thought I was going to die, but then this _angel _appeared out of nowhere—” Michaela looked off into the distance, a dreamy faraway look in her eyes. Matt cleared his throat from beside them.

“She has a thing for the angelic types,” he said with a straight face. Claire snapped her head to Wanda and stared into her scarlet eyes, shaking her head.

“I was _not _an angel. I was wearing a gross hoodie that definitely needed to be washed and my hair was tangled and greasy and covered by the hood. I swear there was no angel there.”

Michaela was brought back to reality, and swooned against Peter, bringing her hand against her forehead, and said, “An _angel_, I tell you. Like those blood avenging angels in the Bible.” She reached a hand over and lightly smacked Matt’s hand. “Back me up, Matty.”

Matt nodded his head in confirmation, and said, “The angels in the Bible _are _pretty fierce. They do a lot of smiting.”

“She’s totally lying,” Peter said. Claire’s head quickly turned and looked at him, glaring at him.

“Parker, I swear to God—”

“I was there. She pushed through the crowd in this long beautiful skirt and a shirt that was _way _too short on her, and the wind blew her beautiful freshly washed red hair all around, and said, ‘Don’t worry, gorgeous, I’ll save you.’ And then she defeated the bad guy and kissed her.”

Wanda stared back at Claire and tightened her fists, trying to keep control over her magic and shoved the temptation to shoot Michaela’s hot drink into Claire’s face down.

“Oh really? That’s how it went?” She released a long huff as Claire’s bright red and sweating face looked back at her.

“NO! That is _not _how it happened!” she shouted as her voice wavered and cracked a lot, an indication that she was about to cry.

Michaela, Matt, and Peter looked at them, their faces contorted as they tried to hold in their laughter, and said in unison, “Yes, it is.”

Claire, giving up, slammed her fists and head against the table, earning a few frightened and annoyed glances from the other patrons before they went back to their work. The whole table—save Claire and Wanda—burst into laughter. Michaela laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.

Wanda shifted her gaze between the four metaphorical hyenas, looking lost and confused. Claire refused to remove her head from the table. Michaela’s laughing fit turned into a coughing fit, and she soon settled down as a result. She looked over at Wanda and started waving her hand and shaking her head.

“I’m so sorry, but that was just too funny,” Michaela said, laughing again.

“What do you mean?” Wanda asked, the redness disappearing slowly.

“I was only messing with you. Honestly, nothing happened between me and Claire. I was on the brink of passing out. Claire looked like a mugger and I could barely see her face with the hair and hood and all.” She looked over at Claire who was slowly raising her head. “Plus, the claws? I didn’t say anything at the time, but oh my God, I did not want to get on your bad side.” She looked back at Wanda. “There were no flirtations happening on either side, nothing serious anyway. And anyway I’ve got this guy.” She nodded over at Matt who raised his hand.

Claire hesitantly looked over at Wanda and said, “See? I told you _nothing happened_.”

Before Wanda could speak, Michaela spoke back up, bringing Claire’s attention to her.

“Oh, and Claire? I’m sorry, but you’re a little young for me.”

Wanda relaxed and smiled, but Claire stared at Michaela looking confused and slightly offended.

“Wha—What do you mean I’m a little young for you?” she asked knitting her eyebrows together. Michaela looked back at her confused but also amused.

“What does it matter?” Wanda asked smacking her arm and raising her eyebrow, her jealousy coming back.

“Claire, you’re what? 21? 22? I’m almost 30. Nothing against you personally, but I don’t consider you to be in my age bracket,” Michaela said with a laugh.

Claire opened her mouth to say something back but closed it when she saw Wanda still staring at her. After a minute, she opened it again. She wrapped an arm around Wanda and puffed out her chest a bit.

“Doesn’t even matter because I’ve got you, babe,” she said as she leaned in and tried to place a kiss on Wanda’s cheek, but she scoffed and pulled away, scooting closer to Matt. She looked over at Michaela and smiled politely, which scared Claire.

“Any way you can take her regardless? You need a guard dog? She’d make a good guard dog,” Wanda said, causing Michaela to laugh again.

Recovering slightly, she sniffled and said, “I’m actually…shit I’m allergic to dogs.”

“Damn it!” Wanda cursed under her breath. Claire pouted, but dragged Wanda into her lap and placed a kiss on her neck. Wanda couldn’t help the smile that formed on her lips at the touch.

“Now, Little Red, I know you don’t mean that…”

“And how are you so sure?”

“Because you _love _me…”

“We’ll see for how much longer,” she mumbled as Claire put her back in her seat and draped an arm around her shoulders.

“Wanda, if you want to get rid of her, I’ll take her. Would you like that? You’d get to come home with me and we can play fetch all the time. Does that sound good? Huh girl? You like that?” Peter said as he looked right at Claire and smiled. Claire stared at him, her eyes going wide and glowing a bit as her wolf came to the surface. She started tapping her foot against the linoleum floor, simulating the wagging of her tail, she liked that very much, but snapped out of it when Michaela looked over at him with a scowl.

“Does your Aunt May know you’re here? Because I’m _pretty_ sure I remember you telling me you were grounded.” Peter frowned and slouched in his seat, folding his arms across his chest. Michaela still looked at him, raising her eyebrows until he sighed loudly, standing from the booth.

“Fine,” he growled. “I’ll go. Bye Wanda. Bye Claire.” He gave her a pat on the head as he passed. Claire turned and looked at him.

“Hey Parker,” she said barking at him. He spun on his heels, looking at her with wide eyes that she loved so much._This child is my son. No doubts about it. _“Remember kid, I’m not a dog.”

Peter left the shop, leaving Bailey, Michaela and Matt with Claire and Wanda. They all settled in a more comfortable conversation, getting to know each other a little better, which consisted of how each person got their powers. Wanda told a very vague version of her story, mostly leaving out all the details of Sokovia and Strucker, only mentioning that her and her deceased twin brother were experimented on. Matt—after revealing that he too was a vigilante—explained how he was blinded as a child, and as a result his other senses heightened to superhuman levels. He, like Wanda, didn’t dive deep into his past, and the two women understood. Michaela explained that she and Bailey (and a number of people in New York) were Inhumans and got their powers after an evil sorcerer detonated a bomb that released a mist—called the Terrigen Mist—that triggered the powers within Inhumans.

“I’m sorry, but what are Inhumans?” Claire asked, knitting her eyebrows together. Michaela smiled slightly and looked down.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m still not really sure, but someone at S.H.I.E.L.D. explained it as Inhumans were alien experiments thousands of years ago that mated with humans at some point in time. Me—and Bailey—are descendants of some of those experiments,” Michaela said. Claire nodded her head and looked down at her folded hands on the table, getting lost in her thoughts. Wanda placed her hand on top of hers, bringing her back and gave her a small smile. She knew what she was thinking about, having accidentally slipped into her mind, and heard the turmoil.

The rest of the table waited for her to say something, probably her story on how she got her powers (and maybe even an explanation as to what they were), and all of a sudden, Claire felt anxious and claustrophobic. The air became difficult to breath and her heart rate sped up as she began to sweat again. Matt snapped his head over to her, an unreadable expression on his face, but resembled concern. She never liked talking about the years she spent as Strucker’s prisoner, forced to endure his endless torture. She wanted nothing more than to block out those memories from her mind; lock them in a drawer or a closet somewhere in the deep recesses in her mind and throw away the key. She clenched her fists as her long scar started to sting, like it was fresh; like she was back in Sokovia.

“Claire?” Michaela asked, though her voice was distorted and sounded far away. Claire ignored her and shakily stood from the booth and tried to walk away but collapsed onto the floor and stared at the ceiling. Wanda jumped up and followed her, crouching beside her as Michaela, Bailey and Matt followed, kneeling around her, but far enough to give her room and air.

“Claire, you’re okay. It’s okay,” Wanda muttered as she smoothed her hair down. Bailey came over and helped Wanda sit her up and held her in her arms as Wanda waved her fingers in a mystical fashion.

Wanda conjured her magic, the red misty vines appearing and slithering up and around her hand and arm. She placed her free hand on Claire’s shoulder, letting her know that she was still close and sent her magic into Claire’s mind. Her eyes flashed a deep red that matched Wanda’s. Wanda filled her head with soothing visuals, like them sitting and eating pizza, or Claire hugging her from behind and placing sloppy kisses along her neck, or whenever they would go to Jemma’s apartment and have dinner together as a family, or when Claire first said “I love you” in front of the water fall in Victoria’s Island. The last image that she showed her was how utterly happy and in love she was with Claire the night of their first date.

When she felt Claire come back and snap out of the horrible thoughts, Wanda pulled herself and her magic out of Claire’s mind. Claire blinked a few times as her heart slowed down to it’s usual pace. Michaela looked over at Matt who nodded at her, as if he sensed her looking, telling her she was okay. Claire looked over at Wanda and gave her a slight smile and pulled her close, burying her face into Wanda’s hair.

After a few minutes, she stood up from the floor—with everyone following her—and returned to the booth. She looked down and rubbed the back of her neck and blushed a light pink as everyone looked over at her, making sure she was okay.

“I’m…I’m sorry about that. I’m fine now, don’t worry,” she said raising her hand in a reassuring manner.

“What happened?” Michaela asked, concern in her voice.

Claire gestured wildly as she tried to come up with the words to explain what happened. Luckily, Wanda noticed her difficulty and offered her help. She looked away from Claire and over at Michaela who looked confused.

“Claire’s powers came to her in rather unsavory ways. Our stories are a little similar, in that both of us were experimented on, but her experience—and where our stories differ—was much more traumatic than mine. She doesn’t like to think about, and when she does, she…mentally she goes back. She’s never had proper treatment after the fact to deal with her trauma, so her cure is to lock it up and forget, but whenever it seeps out, she shuts down.” Wanda grabbed Claire’s hand in hers and held it tightly. Matt shifted and moved a hand towards her and laid his thumb against her cheek, wiping the falling tear away.

“And what did you do to her?” Bailey asked, directing her question to Wanda. Wanda held up her free hand and reignited her magic, creating a small red wispy ball, and moved it around her fingers, smiling.

“I can control a person’s mind, contorting it to see what I want them to see. I once used this power to make my enemies see their worst fears and their most haunting memories, but now…” she flicked her wrist, sending the ball into the air, where it evaporated. “Now, I use it to help her. Whenever she gets sucked back into the past, I force her see more…peaceful and calming images instead of her traumatic ones.”

Claire placed a kiss on the side of her head and gave her a small smile when Wanda looked over at her.

“And I’m so thankful for you,” she muttered, bringing up Wanda’s hand holding her own and planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles. Bailey smiled at them while Michaela nodded her head in understanding.

○○○

“So, you’re living in New York again? Where are you staying?” Michaela asked after a while.

“Me and Wanda found an apartment in Manhattan. We’ve been living there for a couple weeks, right?” Claire said as she looked over at Wanda, who nodded her head in reply.

“And I don’t mean to pry, but how long have you two been together?”

Wanda smiled as Claire took her hand.

“We’ve been dating for about two years, but we’ve been friends and fugitives together for a few months before that,” Wanda said.

“So what are your plans now that you’re back in New York?” Matt asked from beside them. Claire and Wanda looked at each other, sharing a look and shrugged.

“Umm…we’re not sure really. We’re kind of taking a break from all the superheoring for a little while just to catch our breaths and spend some time together, but maybe once things with the Accords get settled again in a favorable way, maybe we’ll jump back into the fight,” Claire said, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Well, whatever you decide, take your time. Trust me, you’re not missing anything. And you have us if you ever need to talk, hang out, or need help,” Michaela said, smiling at Claire and Wanda. She grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and pulled a pen from her bag and scribbled out a series of numbers—her phone number and Claire guessed Matt’s—and slid the napkin over to them still smiling. “I doubt that you’d want to keep using burner phones. In case you need _us_. Not Blackout or Daredevil, but Michaela and Matt. Just call and we’ll be there.”

“Thank you,” Claire said, holding the napkin in her hand and sending a bright smile to Michaela.

The five of them stayed at the coffee shop for a few more hours, spending the time talking and laughing like old friends and that didn’t just meet a few hours earlier. Matt told jokes about Michaela’s first ever hero stunt as Blackout and all the other times that he’s had to come to her rescue, which Michaela laughed and took it all in stride. Wanda reciprocated and told the story of how she and Peter played fetch after a huge battle (making sure to exaggerate the shit out of the details to mess with Claire). Then, after she finished the story, a thought hit Wanda and her eyes lit up with mischief.

“Hey, can I ask you guys a question and get your opinion on something?” Wanda asked as she looked over at Michaela, though she directed the question to both her, Matt, and Bailey.

“Of course,” Michaela said and Matt and Bailey nodded.

“Okay, so if you found a coffee maker in the street, assuming it’s used because it’s not in a box, would you take it back to your apartment and proceed to use it?” Wanda asked, glancing a little bit at Claire who groaned and rolled her eyes.

Michaela’s face scrunched up in disgust at the thought. Matt’s face contorted into an amusing grin as he chuckled, hearing Claire’s heart start beating faster. Bailey just sat next to Michaela, confused as to why Wanda would ask this random question.

“No, there’s no way in heaven or in hell that I would use a coffee maker that I found in the street. Especially here. Lord knows what walks these streets,” Michaela said. “Maybe a few years ago, when I was a poor college student with a crappy job, but no, not now. Hard pass. I’d rather just go without coffee.”

“Yeah I gotta go with Blackout,” Bailey said, making a disgusted noise. Matt was quiet for a moment, possibly thinking it over before he too agreed with Michaela.

“What uh…what made you ask that?” Michaela asked. “That was _way _too specific to be random.” Wanda smirked and looked over at Claire.

“Care to share, dear?” Claire shot her a sarcastic smile before turning to Bailey and Michaela.

“I swear to God, she’ll never let this go,” she said sighing dramatically. “So a little while after we moved it, we were poor because we spent most of the money we had on our apartment—”

“First mistake,” Michaela interjected.

“In our defense, we were on the run, and _anyways_, we were poor so we couldn’t get furniture right away, but I needs my coffee and I couldn’t afford to keep buying coffees on my way to work but I also couldn’t afford a coffee maker. And so one day, I’m walking down the street, coming home from work, and I see a coffee maker sitting on an old wooden table outside with a note saying to take it. So, I took it, ran back to the apartment, dropped it off, and then went back for the table,” Claire finished. Michaela furrowed her brows in confusion and disgust.

“So…you took a used coffee maker…and then used it…?”

“I washed it first!” Claire groaned causing Wanda to giggle beside her. “Jeez, you sound like her.” She nudged her head over to Wanda.

“And she uses it every day,” Wanda pointed out.

“There’s nothing wrong with it!”

“Please tell my girlfriend that regardless of the fact that it’s been washed, she shouldn’t be drinking coffee from a coffee maker that she found outside on the street?”

“I’m sorry Claire, but I gotta side with Wanda on this one,” Michaela said. “I honestly never thought I would have to say this, but if you find anything that makes things that go inside your body—like food or drink—on the street, you _leave it there_,” Michaela said, pinching the bridge of her nose as Matt and Bailey laughed.

“Whatever,” Claire muttered as she frowned a bit and slouched into her seat.

○○○

About an hour later, the two of them said their goodbyes to the vigilantes and headed towards the subway to catch their train home. Their train came quickly and as an added miracle, it wasn’t crowded. They sat in the hard plastic seats and Wanda rested her head against Claire’s shoulder and closed her eyes, sighing in content.

“I really liked her,” she said after a moment, brining Claire’s eyes down to her.

“I’m glad.”

“I’m glad you have friends,” Wanda said feeling sleepy. Claire knitted her eyebrows together and chuckled.

“I have friends. I have you, Natasha, Steve, Bucky, Sam—”

“I meant outside of us. I’ve never heard you talk about your old friends or your past in general—and I know and understand why, I really do—it’s just…I’m just glad to see you branching out.”

Claire was silent for the rest of the ride. She smiled softly as she heard to soft snoring of Wanda asleep on her shoulder. She brought her arm around her, resting her hand against Wanda’s arm, tightening her grip on her. Wanda shifted and groaned a bit but didn’t wake up. Claire held her the rest of the ride, only waking her when they came to the stop before theirs. They got off the train and exited the subway, walking up the steps to the above ground streets and walked to their apartment.

Unlocking the door, Wanda walked over to the couch and sat down, resting her head against the back and closed her eyes again. Claire walked into the kitchen and read the time on the stove: 5:50pm. She opened the fridge and took out the carton of eggs and a stick of butter and placed it on the counter and then moved to a cabinet where she grabbed a bowl and a frying pan. She placed the frying pan on the stove and set the bowl on the counter next to the eggs and snapped her fingers when she remembered the cheese. Reaching back into the fridge, she grabbed a packet of shredded cheese and tossed it on the counter.

She then exited the kitchen and walked over to Wanda’s sleeping body and shook her gently, not trying to scare her.

“Hey, I’m making some eggs. Do you want any?”

“Hmmm,” Wanda said groggily.

“Wanda, that doesn’t help me.”

“I’m fine,” she mumbled and Claire shook her again.

“Wanda, you need to eat. You didn’t eat lunch and you barely ate breakfast, now I’m making you eggs, and you’re gonna eat them. You want anything in them? Anything else you want me to make?”

“Eggs is fine,” she said with a sigh. Claire chuckled and reached for her, pulling her back off the couch, and laying her down, resting her head against a throw pillow. She took off her shoes and brought her legs up on the couch, then left to their room to grab her weighted blanket, and returned to the living room, draping the blanket over her. She knelt down beside her and planted a kiss against her forehead and mumbled an “I love you” before standing.

“I’ll come wake you when the eggs are done,” she said, only leaving when Wanda let out a confirmation groan before she fell back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blackout and Bailey belong to greyhavensking.


	48. It’s Been a Long, Long Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire steals Wanda from work and takes her out to lunch where she gives her a special gift.

The few weeks after Claire and Wanda officially met Blackout and a few of New York’s other more low-key heroes, both Claire and Wanda found themselves stuck in their work. Claire learned from Tony that the President of the United States planned to pardon all of the fugitive Avengers and Bucky as thanks for assistance in the fight against Thanos, which meant that she was busy helping Tony plan different parties, gatherings, speeches, etc., spending most of her day on the phone. Now, one can imagine, of course, that this left little time for free time with Wanda, not that she minded. Wanda was stuck in her own little hell with her job as well.

Within that week, three people have quit for unknown reasons, and because the store had a hard time trying to find new people to hire, Wanda and few other unlucky employees were left to cover all those shifts. If Wanda was being honest, she didn’t really mind it nearly as much as she should’ve, but what got to her was the building stress that came with only sleeping a few hours so she could be up for the early shift.

They both would come home late and exhausted, barely having enough energy to tell the other about their day. Claire would come home before Wanda, though still late, fix herself and Wanda something to eat, and then would go to bed. When Wanda finally got off her shift, she would come back to the apartment, smile sleepily at the note that Claire left her saying that she loved her, hoped she had a good day, that she would be in bed when she got home, and that there would be food for her in the fridge. She would then eat the leftovers that Claire made and crawled into bed beside Claire, waking her slightly as she would roll over and wrap Wanda in her arms before going back to sleep.

This was their routine for about a month, and as the days dragged on, the distance, heavy work load, and lack of decent sleep started to get to Claire. She being physically close to Wanda but not having the energy to enjoy her company or hear her voice or her laugh. She hated that Wanda felt so overworked and tired that sometimes when Claire got up in the morning, she would find Wanda asleep at the kitchen table in front of a plate of food. She hated that all the stress of this event and multiple smaller events was getting to her, making her already short fuse a little bit shorter.

So, not really caring what anyone said, she turned to Tony and stated that she was taking a long lunch—which he agreed to, knowing that she needed a break and that he needed one himself—and ran out of the building and hopped in a cab, stopping first at their apartment, and then driving to Wanda’s store. She paid the driver and ran into the store, not watching to see him leave. She looked around frantically trying to spot Wanda in the crowd of shoppers.

Wanda stood off to the side in and aisle restocking shelves as customers pushed past her with their carts and baskets and reached over her as if she wasn’t there, while others stood at her side yelling different questions at her about where they could find a certain object that Wanda was certain they didn’t sell. She tried her best to answer every question politely, but on the inside she was screaming. Multiple times she had to clench her fists to keep her magic from shooting out of her.

Claire spotted her in the aisle and ran towards her. Wanda let out a breath of relief when the final customer yelling at her for her help left her alone in the aisle, somewhat satisfied with her help. She returned all of her attention into finishing stocking the shelves, hoping that the peace that she was feeling now would last a little longer than she expected it to. Claire snuck up behind her, wanting to surprise her, and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, miss, but I was wondering where the adult diapers were?” Claire asked in funny voice, hoping to sound like an old woman. Her face smiled brightly as she tried to keep from laughing. Wanda didn’t look up or move, but she let out a loud, heavy, and exasperated sigh, and hung her head.

“Ma’am, if you could give me a second, I’ll be right with you,” Wanda said, sounding tired and annoyed. Claire frowned a bit and tapped her again. Wanda sighed and moved to stand up. “Diapers are in aisle 5—”

She paused when she saw Claire smiling at her and in an instant, all annoyance left her as Claire pulled her into a hug. Wanda melted into the embrace, letting out a soft cry as Claire tightened her arms around her and placed a small inconspicuous kiss on her head. After a minute, Wanda pulled away and smiled at Claire’s surprise.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Wanda asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“I told Tony I was taking a long lunch, so I came to kidnap you.” Claire dipped her head down and captured Wanda’s lips in a loving kiss. Deepening the kiss, Wanda stood on her tip-toes to meet Claire’s height.

“I can’t just leave,” Wanda said sadly as she pulled away, dropping back down.

“Sure you can. Just go up to your boss, say ‘I’m taking a long break’, and then leave. If he tries to say something, I’ll shoot him a growl and he’ll leave you alone.”

“Is that how you dealt with Tony?” Wanda asked smirking.

“No, but I did tell him I was taking a break,” Claire said laughing. “I think he was glad I finally said something.”

“Claire, as much as I want to, I can’t just leave.” Wanda took the box of cereals down the aisle and started filling the shelves again. Claire followed her and leaned against the shelves that Wanda started restocking.

“Wanda, come on. We barely see each other anymore. Us talking right now is the most I’ve said to you in like a month. I’m going crazy.” Claire pushed off the shelf and grabbed a few boxes of cereal and helped Wanda stock the shelf. “Please, Wanda? Come out to lunch with me?” Claire stuck out her bottom lip, pouting, and widened her eyes. She looked right at Wanda, and after a few seconds, she let out a groan of defeat.

“Alright. I’ll talk to Josh about taking a long lunch, but you have to help me finish this,” Wanda said gesturing to the boxes of food that needed to go on shelves. Claire agreed and followed Wanda around the store, re-shelving the designated shelves. With Claire’s help, Wanda was done in half the time, and after she was done, she searched out Josh and asked—more like begged—for a long lunch. Josh reluctantly agreed, mostly because Claire lowly growled at him, her eyes glowing a light purple.

Claire dragged Wanda out of the store and quickly caught a cab. Claire gave the cabbie an address that Wanda wasn’t familiar with, but when he started driving, she leaned into her arms, planting a kiss on her hand.

“Where are we going?” Wanda asked as the taxi drove down the crowded New York streets. Horns of other cars and shouts of angry New Yorkers blared around them, but Wanda ignored them, having become accustomed to them once more.

“You’ll see,” Claire said with a mischievous grin.

The drive wasn’t long, but in the time that they had gotten into the cab and now, the sky had turned dark and it started to rain. The light peppering of raindrops on the windows relaxed Wanda as she tried to—for the time being—forget her job.

The rain started to come down harder as the cab stopped in front of a little bistro. They got out, paid the cabbie, and entered the bistro in a hurry to get out of the rain. Claire’s long hair stuck to her neck and face while Wanda’s light make-up started to run, making the both of them laugh at the other’s appearance. As they got to their table, Claire grabbed a napkin and scooted her chair closer to Wanda’s and gently pulled her face closer, wiping away her running mascara. Wanda smiled and a light blush rose to her cheeks when Claire pulled away.

Wanda and Claire ordered their food and waited, finally taking the time to enjoy one another. They chatted about anything besides their jobs, hoping to forget the stress for a moment. Light live jazz music played in front of the establishment, and Claire smiled, silently thinking Bucky. The light violins and enthusiastic trumpets drifted through the room, complimenting each other, and the subtle drumbeats sent small vibrations through the floor. To fulfil the esthetic, the singer was dressed in a way that resembled how people dressed in the 1940s. When Wanda noticed the décor and esthetic, she grinned at Claire. She had made her wish come true; live in 1940s New York.

_“Never thought that you would be standing here so close to me. There’s so much I feel that I should say, but words can wait until some other day. Kiss me once, then kiss me twice, then kiss me once again. It’s been a long, long time. Haven’t felt like this my dear, since can’t remember when, it’s been a long, long time.”_

“I’ve really missed you,” Wanda said, taking Claire’s hand in hers. “The past few weeks have just been…” She paused, sniffling a little. Claire knew that it hurt her too.

“Hectic? Stressful? Shitty?” Claire offered, laughing a little, hoping to lighten the mood. Wanda chuckled in reply and wiped her nose. “It’ll get better, babe. I promise. This isn’t going to be our life. It’s just…a rough patch; we’ll make it through.”

Wanda lifted her red-rimmed eyes up to Claire’s face, eyeing her reassuring smile, and giving one of her own back.

_“_ _You'll never know how many dreams I've dreamed about you, or just how empty they all seemed without you. So kiss me once, then kiss me twice, then kiss me once again. It's been a long, long time.”_

Claire moved her hand to her pocket, feeling the lump, and smiled. The band moved to a new song though it kept the same romantic undertones as the last. She carefully took the small flat square box out of her pocket, holding it a bit as her other hand squeezed Wanda’s.

“Hey. I got you something.” Wanda knitted her eyes together in confusion. Claire didn’t wait for her to question the occasion and lifted the box up onto the table, placing it in front of Wanda.

“Claire, you didn’t have to get me anything…” Wanda said as she looked from the box over to Claire who was beaming. Claire shrugged and laughed a little.

“Technically, I did, but I think it’s so cute that you’re not even aware of why. But don’t worry about that, just open it.”

Wanda slowly opened the lid of the box, eyeing Claire with a curious and cautious intensity. She wasn’t used to getting presents, and whenever she did Pietro would get jealous. Claire’s face never altered as she sat waiting patiently. Wanda finally removed the lid and gasped when she saw its contents. Inside the box sat a small beautiful necklace with a garnet stone in the center, surrounded by small diamonds along the circumference of it. It was simple, but still elegant and matched Wanda’s tastes.

“Happy birthday, baby,” Claire whispered with a smile when Wanda looked back over to her, eyes wide and mouth hung open. “I tried to find one with a purple stone, but they only had the red, which suits you better I think.”

“I love it,” Wanda whispered, grabbing Claire’s face into her hands and kissing her passionately. “Thank you. But it’s not my birthday.”

“You’re right,” Claire said giggling. “It’s not your birthday _today_, but it was on Monday. I meant to say something sooner, but whenever I got a minute to talk to you, something would come up. I swear I didn’t forget.” She held her hands up in defense and Wanda laughed, a small tear rolling down her cheek. She had forgotten her own birthday; hers and Pietro’s. While it wasn’t her first birthday without him, it still felt like it, at least it kind of did. Since she met Claire, her birthdays have been a little brighter.

Claire stood up from her chair and walked behind Wanda, taking the necklace and pulling it over her neck, she clasped it. Wanda turned in her chair and pulled Claire down to her, kissing her. Pulling away, the redhead returned to her seat.

“Where did you find this?” Wanda asked as she raised a hand and gently touched the cool stone.

“You’re gonna think it’s silly…” Claire said becoming bashful.

“I am not,” Wanda reassured her. “I’m genuinely curious.”

“I got it in Wakanda.”

Wanda immediately thought back on their last visit to the kingdom of Wakanda and froze. She wondered when Claire found the time to buy the necklace with everything going on and why she thought that was the right time to do it. Almost as if she sensed what Wanda was thinking, Claire shook her head.

“Not the last time we went,” she said and Wanda relaxed, “the time before that. When we went to see Bucky.”

“You bought this then? Why?”

“I…I wanted a way to gather my courage and tell you I loved you, but…It got lost in all my shit that I almost forgot about it. I was really scared after I bought it because I wasn’t sure if this was the one—”

“What do you mean the one?”

“I watched you looking at the jewelry in Wakanda, and I saw you linger on one necklace, and I thought it was this one, but if it’s not I’m sorry.” Claire looked down a bit but brought her eyes back up to Wanda when she reached over and grabbed her hand.

“Claire, I can’t believe you pay this much attention to me. I love you.” Claire smiled and placed a kiss on her hand.

Wanda smiled and looked down at the necklace again. The ceiling light above her struck the stone, filtering it’s fluorescent light through each fracture, illuminated the inside of the stone, creating an illusion of red misty magic similar to Wanda’s.

“It’s beautiful, Claire. Thank you, again.”

“Anything for my best girl.”


	49. Jemma and the Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jemma misses Lily, and later finds a mysterious box left for her in her apartment.

Coming back home for Jemma was easier than she had expected it to be. After being dropped off at her building with Claire and Wanda, she called her parents to let them know that she was back, and within the hour they came over and dropped off Griffon. They met Wanda and immediately fell in love with her, practically making her part of the family.

Jemma’s life went back to normal before running off with the Avengers for two years. Under some miracle, she kept her job at the paper, and during the day that’s where she was, and when she’d get off in the evening, she’d go home, feed Griffon and herself (and occasionally Wanda and Claire) and then she would go to bed. Though, as the weeks went by, and Wanda and Claire’s apartment came together, Jemma found herself in the apartment alone; missing the company of her little sister.

She tried to keep herself busy with work and her writing to keep from noticing the deafening silence, and it worked, but only most of the time. The only time she _really _noticed it was when she went to bed. Griffon, who grew accustomed to Wanda’s presence, started sleeping in her bed, while Jemma slept in her king bed all by herself. It was at these points in time when Jemma would reflect on a time when she wasn’t alone in the bed, and that the sound of Lily’s snoring kept her company. It killed her that she’d never get to have another moment like that, ever.

Jemma sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a frustrated scream. Tears ran down her face and she frantically looked around the darkened room. A flash of light came in through the window, catching her eyes and momentarily blinding her, and landed on something on her dresser. Jemma followed the light, turning her eyes to a picture frame laying faced down. Without even flipping it over she knew what it was.

She bit her lip, trapping the coming sob inside her, refusing to let it out. She was over this, she tried to convince herself. She had two years where she wasn’t feeling like this. She was over this. Getting out of bed, she walked over to the picture frame, grasping it tightly in her hand, afraid that she’d drop it. She took a deep breath and wiped her tear stained face. If she was over this, she could look at this picture and not feel a thing, right? She inhaled sharply and flipped the picture frame over, gazing at it.

Her eyes went directly to Lily’s timeless face smiling back at her as her arms held Jemma close as she laughed and ducked her head as the camera snapped the picture, leaving a memory of her flipping dark hair and the remnants of a smile. Lily’s blue eyes glowed in the dark, staring right into Jemma’s soul, and her heart crumbled. Her throat closed up as the sob broke free from her, leaving her gasping and collapsing to the floor. The tears came full force, blurring her already limited vision of the picture. She laid on the floor, curled up in a fetal position, clutching the picture frame to her chest as if she was willing the Lily in the picture to spring from the paper and glass and hug her back. Her throat ached as the lump formed regardless of the fact that she was already crying and pressed against the walls of her throat.

_“Calm down, love. Just breath.”_

She breathed in deeply and furiously wiped her eyes. Her sobs had stopped, thank God, but the tears continued to fall. Upon hearing the commotion from the next room, Griffon strolled into the room, pushing Jemma’s door open with his head, and walked over to her, nudging her knee with his head. Jemma sniffled and sat up, reaching for the feline, and held him close to her as she started to cry again. She thought of Lily’s stupid little arguments with him, never understanding why they never got along.

_“Jemma, I swear that cat is out to get me.”_

Griffon let out a little meow and Jemma sniffled again, burying her face into his soft fur.

“Yeah. I miss her too.”

She pulled the cat and herself up off the floor and sat back on the bed, resting the picture frame that was still in her hand on her nightstand. She laid down, turning her head to face the picture and petting Griffon’s body as he curled up against her, and tried to relax and go to sleep.

“Goodnight, Lily. I love you.” She pressed a kiss to her fingers and brought them over to the glass of the picture frame, resting her fingers on Lily’s face, transferring the kiss. She then closed her eyes and allowed sleep to come to her, though she still felt the tears fall down her cheeks and her breathing shudder.

_“Rest well, Jemma Bean.”_

○○○

In the past few weeks, Jemma threw herself into her work. By day, she worked at the paper, and by night she was working on her own multiple unfinished pieces of writing. She was determined to distract herself with work until the often overwhelming feeling of loneliness and depression subsided. Wanda and Claire didn’t come over as much as they had before, and Jemma rarely heard from them. She wondered if they were as equally busy as she was or if they…had forgotten her. She instantly shook her head, dispelling that thought from her mind. They hadn’t forgotten about her and they wouldn’t forget about her.

Jemma walked up the steps to her apartment, passing the fifth floor, and paused. She debated stopping by for a quick hello, a slight reprieve from the loneliness, but decided against it and kept walking up to her floor. She put the key in the lock and twisted it. Walking in, she let her purse drop to the floor behind her as she leaned against the door, sighing loudly. Though the silence wasn’t new to her, it certainly was exhausting. Peeling away from the door, she walked over to the island and rested her bag on the counter and took out her laptop, turning it on.

She then walked over to Griffon’s food bowl and put in some fresh food and chuckled lightly when she saw him quickly waddle into the room when he heard the food. She placed his bowl back on the ground, gave him fresh water, and then walked back to sit at the island where she opened a frequently opened Word document. As she was about to start typing, something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. She turned her head to the right, and on the coffee table sat a large shiny black box.

She got up from the stool and walked over curiously. Reaching it, she sat on the love seat and turned to the window, feeling a draft. Behind the loveseat, the curtains danced as the wind blew from the open window. _Odd. _Inspecting the box, Jemma noticed a small not sitting on top of the box reading:

_“Dear Jemma,_

_Sorry this is getting to you so late. I’m afraid that after Lily passed, things kind of went crazy here and this got shuffled around too much. I hope you’re doing okay, Jemma, and I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope this eases a little bit of the pain._

_Maria Hill_

_P.S. I’m sorry about breaking into your apartment.”_

Jemma put the note down and looked at the box. A small button sat in the middle, connecting the lid to the rest of the box. Jemma reached forward and pressed the button and jumped slightly when an automated voice said, _“Input Voice Code”_.

_Voice Code?_ She didn’t have a code and before she voiced her confusion out loud, the gray silhouette of an eagle—the S.H.I.E.L.D. symbol—caught her eye and had to force back the tears. _Voice Code? Lily._

“Jemma Bean?” she asked, hoping that that was the code that the box meant.

_“Welcome Jemma Barnes,”_ said the voice as the box unlocked itself. She smiled to herself when a clicking sound was heard. She reached forward and grasped the lid with both hands and lifted it.

The inside of the box was huge and had different compartments for everything. Another button sat at the very back of the box and in her curiosity, Jemma pushed it. Unlike last time, an automated voice didn’t shout at her. Instead, a shaky blue light bled through a small hidden lens, waving up and down as it created the outline of a person.

A blue hologram of Lily sat before Jemma inside the box, smiling at her.

_“Hey, Jemma Bean,” _Lily said. Jemma’s hand flew up and clamped over her mouth as she started to cry again. _“If you’re listening to this, it means that either Tasha, Maria, or May gave you the box. And if you have the box, than…that means…I wasn’t able to keep my promise to you. I’ve been building this box for a while now, before we even met, but I knew the second I saw you that you’d be the one to give it to. I’m really sorry that I left you, Jemma Bean. I hope you know in your heart that I didn’t do it on purpose, no matter how hard that might be to believe.” _

Lily paused and chuckled a bit before it turned into a sniffle.

_“Umm…it’s funny…when I came up with the idea to do this, I thought I’d know what to say, but…I’m at a loss for words. Jemma, my love, my heart, my reason for living, we didn’t get enough time, and I wish everyday that we did. I wish I met you way before I became an Avenger and maybe even a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I wish I could defy the natural order of things and come back to you. Hell, I wish I was selfish so I could beg you to come join me. But…I can’t do either of those things. I’m sorry that you’re hurting, love, but don’t shut it out. Feel the pain, embrace it, because that pain is good; it means that what we had was real and special. It means that I meant something to you, and after living most of my life as worthless, this was all I wanted. I want you to remember, Jemma Bean, that there are people who love you besides me that want to help you. You’re not alone; you never were and you never will be alone. Please, after all this is over, please don’t shut out those people that love you. Don’t shut down, Jemma. I know it’s a lot to ask of you, especially if you’re…mad at me, but…continue being the light that you were in my life. Be that for someone else, and you’ll feel me there.”_

Lily paused again and sighed, taking a minute to wipe her eyes.

_“This box is filled with some stuff of mine that I found here at S.H.I.E.L.D. that I want you to have. You don’t have to keep any of it, but…I don’t know. I’m sorry this went much better in my head. You’ll also find an envelope with a check; that’s yours to do with as you wish. Don’t worry about funeral costs, S.H.I.E.L.D. has that covered. This…this is just…call it an insurance policy; something to have incase you need it. God, I wish we had more time. But, Jemma, despite what we got, remember that I’ll always love you. You were—are the best thing in my life, and I’m so glad to have had this time with you. I’ll see you one day, love, and then we’ll have all the time in the world. Goodbye, Jemma Bean.”_

The blue light flickered and Lily’s tearful smiling face faded from view. Jemma rested her face in her hands as she cried; it had been years since she heard her voice and her laugh. She didn’t realize how much she had missed it; how much she had forgotten what they sounded like. She wiped her eyes and began to root through the box.

Her shaky fingers first landed on a newer S.H.I.E.L.D. jacket with Lily’s name stitched on the front left side in calligraphy. Jemma brought the article up and buried her face into it, inhaling deeply, catching Lily’s scent. It still smelled like her; like she had worn it yesterday. She wanted to put it on, to have Lily’s scent envelope her in a comforting hug, but this was all she had left of her scent. She didn’t want to lose it. Gently placing it on the coffee table beside the box, she leafed through different awards and medals that she had won as an agent and photos of her with Natasha, Maria, and another woman who she guessed was Malinda May, the Avengers after New York eating Shawarma, and even one with Director Fury (who she’d recognize from the eyepatch). There were also newspaper clippings of different missions she was a part of leading all the up to 2012 with Loki’s attack on New York.

An article after that, though, caught her attention, looking familiar to her. It was the article that Jemma had written about Lily after that battle; the article that included the interview that started their relationship. She carefully took the thin paper out of the box and walked into the bedroom, took down a framed piece of wall art that she found at some store she had long forgotten, and switched out the art for the newspaper. Jemma hung it back up in it’s place, smiling a little to herself before walking back into the living room. She gathered all the pictures and grabbed her phone, wallet, and keys, and left her apartment.

Getting into her car, she pulled out of her parking space and drove to a nearby copy place. She scanned each picture, making multiple copies of the one of her and the Avengers, then she bought a pack of envelopes before heading back to her apartment. She put each photo into an envelope with a small handwritten letter, and the next day, she mailed them. She smiled and looked up to the sky, imagining that Lily was up there, looking down on her with love. She hoped that the pictures made it to where they were supposed to go, figuring that the Avengers would definitely get them as they were currently back at the compound upstate for the time being, but she wasn’t sure about Maria, May and Fury, but she had hope. Hope that they’d make it, almost like how she had hope that she and Lily would make it once upon a time.


	50. "Chapter 1"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief glimpse at everyone's lives now that things have gone back to normal.

Things were finally calm between everyone. Claire and Wanda’s hectic work schedule settled down considerably, and they finally got to see more of each other. They spent their time going out every night to dinner or to the movies or even dancing; they just wanted to enjoy each other. They had many more date nights, and while Claire was still working up the courage to finally pop the question, she carried a ring with her just in case the moment was right. Wanda ended up missing being a hero and joined the Avengers again, but because of her fear of leaving Claire like how Lily left Jemma, she made a deal with Natasha to only help when it was absolutely necessary. Claire did not rejoin the Avengers, though she did help Michaela out in Hell’s Kitchen and other parts of New York whenever the vigilante needed her.

The Avengers were officially pardoned from any war crimes that they were accused of, and Wanda, Clint, Sam, and Scott were compensated for their inhumane treatment in the Raft. Though Ross kept his job, he was refused to work with the Raft and any other inmates. Tony officially retired as Iron Man, though he’d throw on the suit every now and then to help out, because let’s face it, the billionaire genius playboy philanthropist just couldn’t stay away from the superhero spotlight.

Bucky returned to New York after being pardoned and spent his free time hanging out with Claire and Wanda (who he loved and considered family) and sometimes Jemma when she was free. Rhodey took over the roll of Iron Man in Tony’s absence, and would sometimes fight alongside him. Clint and Scott went back to their families and proceeded to live happy, stress-free lives. Eventually, Steve decided it was time for him to retire as well, and he passed the shield and “Captain America” mantle onto Sam, who had accepted the role as long as “Bicky” helped him, which he agreed.

Natasha agreed to stay an Avenger, though she moved out of the compound and into Jemma’s apartment so that she wasn’t alone, which Jemma was grateful for. She kept in touch with Melinda May and Directory Fury and assured Jemma that they got the pictures and were very touched at the effort. Surprisingly, Griffon did not take too kindly to Natasha moving in. Maybe he only liked her in small doses. While she never said anything to Natasha about it, she was glad that Griffon didn’t like her, because watching them get at it made Jemma miss Lily a little less. Since she was the only one of the original Avengers that decided to stay, Sam felt it right that she be named their new leader, and she accepted.

Thor returned to his people in “New Asgard” and assisted Valkyrie in ruling the kingdom for a while before he shot off into space looking for the Guardians of the Galaxy. Bruce too retired, and took Tony’s advice and moved to the shore, wanting to spend his days relaxing on a beach turning brown instead of green.

And Jemma finally got the professional help that she didn’t know she needed to help her get through her anxiety and grief. Before long, she was doing much better, and whenever she did have a breakdown, she now had the proper tools to work through it. She still worked at the paper, though she began spending more time coming up with her own works. She’d been published a few more times, and even won an award for best short story. Upon hearing, Tony threw her a small party and all the Avengers and Avengers affiliated people were invited. It was a nice day to hang out and reconnect with old friends and make new ones. And it was at the party that Jemma disclosed her big secret: she had finally come up with an idea for her novel! She decided that she’d tell the story of them; the untold story of the fugitive Avengers and their time on the run.

As far as any of them could see, there were no more heavily looming threats. They were all allowed to breathe a sigh of relief as they celebrated Jemma’s award and new story idea. And for a moment, they all felt good, happy. Above all the noise of celebration, a drunken Tony raised his half empty beer bottle and said, “Here’s to Lily: for bringing us all together.” Jemma smiled and raised her glass of red wine as the rest of the Avengers followed suit.

“To Lily,” they chorused, taking a drink for their fallen friend who had indeed helped bring them together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of "Two of a Kind", but I'm currently writing two prequel short stories that focus on both Lily and Claire's backstories and two one-shot series. The one series focuses on Claire and Wanda's relationship, and the other focuses on Sam and Bucky. Thanks for reading!


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